UPSC current affairs, 29 October 2026

• DRR Dhan-100 (Kamala) was developed by ICAR's Indian Institute of Rice Research, Hyderabad, as an improved version of Samba Mahsuri.
• Pusa DST Rice-1, developed by ICAR-IARI, New Delhi, from MTU1010, is meant for saline and alkaline soils.
• Genome-edited plants without foreign DNA are distinct from transgenic GMOs and face lighter regulation in India.

Feeds GS3 on biotechnology and food security: gene editing offers climate-resilient crops faster than transgenic GM crops because it adds no foreign DNA.

• India has about 290 sq km of coastal salt marsh, mostly in Gujarat, with smaller areas in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• In the experiment, salt marshes reduced 75 cm waves by 6% to 22% and 2-metre waves by up to 6%.

An example of nature-based coastal protection: salt marshes complement sea walls in disaster risk reduction, but their benefit falls as waves grow larger.

2022 · GS3 · 15 marks Explain the causes and effects of coastal erosion in India. What are the available coastal management techniques for combating the hazard?

How to use it: Salt marshes are a nature-based coastal management technique: they reduce wave height and their roots hold sediment, cutting erosion risk.

• Article 326 lists grounds for disqualification from voting, such as non-residence, unsoundness of mind, crime and corrupt practices; doubt about citizenship is not among them.
• The SIR in Bihar began on 24 June 2025.

Feeds the debate on the right to vote and the ECI's role in roll revision: whether the ECI's function should be ministerial or include a citizenship inquiry.

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: The verdict upheld the ECI's limited citizenship inquiry during roll revision, while the author argues Article 326 does not list doubtful citizenship as a ground for disqualification.

• The FTA includes commitments across 118 services sectors and a quota of 5,000 visas for skilled professionals at any given time.
• New Zealand has committed to facilitate $20 billion of FDI into India over 15 years.

Shows India's turn to bilateral FTAs with developed economies, combining goods access with services, mobility and investment commitments.

• The New PSE Policy 2021 aims for a bare minimum presence of public sector enterprises in strategic sectors.
• The National Monetisation Pipeline 2.0 targets Rs 16.72 lakh crore for FY26 to FY30.

Gives data and arguments on disinvestment as a source of non-debt revenue and efficiency, and on reforms such as a rolling three-year privatisation pipeline.

• Palna, a crèche component, falls under Mission Shakti of the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
• The Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment is exploring a National Care Economy Mission.

Useful for answers on women's labour force participation and unpaid work: the article argues care should be budgeted as investment rather than welfare.

2019 · GS1 · 15 marks What are the continued challenges for women in India against time and space?

How to use it: The Time Use Survey finding on unpaid care and the PLFS data on women out of the labour force show the time burden still limiting women.

• GRAP Stage I applies at an AQI of 201 to 300 ('Poor') and Stage IV above 450 ('Severe+').
• The statutory CAQM replaced the Supreme Court-created EPCA in 2021 and now implements GRAP.
• Where GRAP orders and the Delhi government's notification conflict, GRAP orders prevail.

Shows the limits of reactive, threshold-triggered curbs in air quality governance compared with year-round action on stubble burning, vehicles and dust.

• Matarbari, being built with Japanese assistance, will be Bangladesh's first deep sea port.
• India-Japan projects in the Northeast are funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Links India's Act East Policy with Japan's Free and Open Indo-Pacific vision, and shows how Bangladesh's ports can ease the Northeast's landlocked isolation.

• Draft data protection laws of 2018, 2019 and 2021 had exemptions for journalism, which were dropped in the 2022 draft and the final Act.
• The DPDP Act amends Section 8(1)(j) of the Right to Information Act, 2005.
• The Supreme Court recognised privacy as a fundamental right under Article 21 in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy (Retd.) v. Union of India (2017).

Feeds the balance between the right to privacy and freedom of the press and the right to information in data protection law.

2024 · GS3 · 10 marks Describe the context and salient features of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023.

How to use it: Gives context for the Act (the Puttaswamy judgment) and a current debate over its missing journalism exemption and its amendment to the RTI Act.

• VAHAN handles vehicle registration data and SARATHI driving licence services, both under the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways.
• CERT-In functions under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).

An example of privacy risks in government data platforms and the need for masking, audits and clear data-sharing rules.

• NavIC covers the Indian landmass and up to 1,500 km beyond India's borders.
• NavIC offers a Standard Positioning Service for civilian users and a Restricted Service for authorised users.

Shows why indigenous critical components such as atomic clocks matter for strategic autonomy in satellite navigation.

2018 · Prelims With reference to the Indian Regional Navigation Satellite System (IRNSS), consider the following statements : 1. IRNSS has three satellites in geostationary and four satellites in geosynchronous orbits. 2. IRNSS…

How to use it: NavIC covers India and up to 1,500 km beyond its borders, which helps judge the coverage statement in this question.

• The NPPA enforces the Drugs (Prices Control) Order (DPCO).
• Compulsory licensing under the Indian Patents Act, 1970 is suggested as a tool to make patented medicines affordable.

Feeds GS2 health access: trade margin rationalisation lowers generic prices but cannot reach patented single-source drugs without patent law tools.

• The RBI's 'State of the Economy' report assesses the economy using high-frequency indicators.
• Government capital expenditure reached Rs 5.10 trillion in April-August, up 18%.

Useful for balanced answers on India's growth: headline numbers are strong, while private investment, farm output and capital outflows remain weak.

2019 · GS3 · 10 marks Do you agree with the view that steady GDP growth and low inflation have left the Indian economy in good shape? Give reasons in support of your arguments.

How to use it: Strong forecasts, GST and exports support the view, while a weak monsoon, low private investment and rupee weakness show the economy is not fully in good shape.

• India's population aged 60 and above is projected to reach 347 million, or 20.8% of the total, by 2050.
• The National Programme for Health Care of the Elderly (NPHCE) was launched in 2010.

An example of a rights-based approach to population ageing that other States facing a demographic transition can study.

• Form 7 is used to object to the inclusion of a name in the electoral roll or to seek its deletion.
• The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body under Article 324; State Election Commissions conduct Panchayat and Municipal elections under Articles 243K and 243ZA.

Feeds the debate on electoral roll integrity: the article argues the SIR has excluded eligible voters, while the ECI says no eligible voter should be left out.

• CBD COP-17 is being held in Yerevan, Armenia.
• The Cartagena Protocol governs the safe handling, transport and use of living modified organisms; the Nagoya Protocol provides the legal framework for access and benefit sharing.
• OECMs are areas outside protected areas that deliver long-term biodiversity conservation.

Gives examples of India's steps towards the Kunming-Montreal framework, such as recognising conservation outside protected areas through OECMs.

2026 · GS3 · 10 marks Discuss the aim and goals of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. Mention India's commitments and initiatives to achieve the goals and targets of this framework, giving suitable examples.

How to use it: India's I-OECM guidelines and its call to mobilise resources for the framework are examples of India's initiatives towards the Kunming-Montreal targets.

• AVYAY subsumed and expanded the earlier National Action Plan for Senior Citizens (NAPSrC).
• AVYAY works through State Action Plans for Senior Citizens and district monitoring committees chaired by District Collectors.

Shows the shift to community-based elder care as urbanisation, migration and nuclear households weaken family support.

• India's sports goods manufacturing is concentrated in Jalandhar and Meerut, and MSMEs account for nearly 90% of production.
• Sports Goods Manufacturing Zones will converge with the BHAVYA Scheme and NICDC industrial parks.

An example of cluster-based industrial policy to raise MSME-led manufacturing and exports.

2023 · GS3 · 10 marks Faster economic growth requires increased share of the manufacturing sector in GDP, particularly of MSMEs. Comment on the present policies of the Government in this regard.

How to use it: The scheme backs MSME-dominated sports goods clusters in Jalandhar and Meerut with manufacturing zones and production incentives.

• eGramSwaraj covers Panchayat planning, budgeting, accounting and asset management, and AuditOnline handles online audit of Panchayat accounts.
• PANCHAM is a WhatsApp-based tool for two-way interaction between citizens, Panchayat representatives and officials.

Shows the push to strengthen Panchayats through planning, digital governance and capacity building.

2017 · GS2 · 10 marks "The local self-government system in India has not proved to be effective instrument of governance." Critically examine the statement and give your views to improve the situation.

How to use it: The scheme's capacity building, development plans and digital audit tools are measures to make local self-government more effective.

• The Terms of Reference set the framework and scope of the India-Mexico PTA negotiations.
• Claudia Sheinbaum is the President of Mexico.

Part of India's trade diversification towards Latin America, with critical minerals and resilient supply chains among the aims.