UPSC current affairs, 2 November 2026

• The UNGA has passed the resolution on ending the US embargo on Cuba almost every year since 1992.
• UNGA resolutions are non-binding; only the US Congress can lift the embargo.
• Costa Rica, Ecuador, Argentina and Colombia switched their votes, and Germany and Italy abstained.

Shows how great power pressure shapes voting in multilateral bodies, and India's consistent position against unilateral sanctions.

• PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, launched in February 2024, aims to give up to 300 units of free electricity a month to one crore households through rooftop solar.
• The National Green Hydrogen Mission targets 5 million tonnes a year of green hydrogen by 2030.
• The International Solar Alliance, co-founded by India and France in 2015, has 130 signatory and member countries.

Gives data on India's renewable transition and its financing needs, including storage, transmission and manufacturing, the last backed by the PLI scheme.

2016 · Prelims Consider the following statements: 1. The International Solar Alliance was launched at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015. 2. The Alliance includes all the member countries of the United Nations…

How to use it: The ISA was co-founded by India and France in 2015 and has 130 signatory and member countries, so it does not include all UN members.

• The attack was attributed to TraderTraitor, a North Korean cybercrime group linked to the Lazarus Group.
• The stolen funds were drawn from Binance's hot wallets across ten blockchains.

An example for cybersecurity and the regulation of crypto assets: state-linked hackers and the tension between freezing assets and decentralisation.

• Project 18A destroyers will be designed by the Navy's Warship Design Bureau.
• The Navy currently has 12 to 13 guided missile destroyers across the Visakhapatnam, Kolkata and Delhi classes.

Supports answers on indigenisation of defence production and maritime security in the Indian Ocean Region.

• Gelephu Mindfulness City is in southern Bhutan, bordering Assam, and is planned as a Special Administrative Region of over 2,000 sq km with its own legal and regulatory framework.
• India is Bhutan's largest trading partner and main development aid provider, and ties are reinforced by the Treaty of Friendship.

An example of India's neighbourhood ties and cultural diplomacy with Bhutan, and of Bhutan's Gross National Happiness based development model.

• The New Development Bank, set up by the BRICS states, is headed by former Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff.
• Bolsa Familia is Brazil's welfare programme of financial aid to poor families.

Relevant to the role of BRICS and the Global South, and to Brazil's push within BRICS for strategic autonomy and trade in local currencies.

• Section 44 of the Lokpal Act requires public servants to declare their assets; rules under it, amended in 2016, are still pending.
• Public disclosure of bureaucrats' immovable assets began in 2011, while movable assets are reported to the government but not made public.

An example for probity and transparency in the civil services: declarations without verification weaken accountability.

• LCA Tejas is developed by the Aeronautical Development Agency and manufactured by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited.
• The Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) is India's fifth-generation stealth multirole fighter programme.

Useful for questions on defence preparedness and indigenisation: the squadron gap and reliance on domestic platforms such as Tejas and AMCA.

• The June to September 2026 southwest monsoon had a 12.6% rainfall deficit, and Karnataka had its worst monsoon in 55 years.
• October 2026 had a rainfall deficit of 31.4%, and El Niño is projected to persist through January to March 2027.

Links climate shocks to farm input demand, food inflation and subsidy policy, and argues for treating climate risk as a baseline in policy.

2024 · GS3 · 10 marks What are the causes of persistent high food inflation in India? Comment on the effectiveness of the monetary policy of the RBI to control this type of inflation.

How to use it: Shows a supply-side cause of food inflation: El Niño-linked dry weather and a 12.6% monsoon deficit came as food inflation rose from 4.2% to over 7.7%.

• The Jan Vishwas (Amendment of Provisions) Act, 2023 decriminalised 183 provisions across 42 central laws.

Feeds questions on ease of doing business, decriminalisation and formalisation of employment.

• Only 4% of Indian households own an induction cooktop, and mandatory star labelling for induction cooktops has been deferred to January 2027.
• Bureau of Energy Efficiency programmes saved 53.6 million tonnes of oil equivalent in 2023-24.

Gives a demand-side answer to energy security: electrification reduces exposure to imported fuels and maritime chokepoints.

2026 · GS3 · 15 marks Explain the key challenges for India's energy security. What measures do you suggest for ensuring energy security along with economic growth and sustainability?

How to use it: Import dependence on LPG and the Strait of Hormuz route is a challenge; electrifying industrial heat and cooking is a measure that cuts the fuel import bill.

• India is the world's second-largest steel producer, with output of 170 million tonnes.
• Quality Control Orders cover 228 steel products; the Gauba Committee recommended removing 122, but only 59 have been suspended.

An example for the debate on tariff protection versus competitiveness in industrial policy, and its cost to downstream users.

• Only scheduled drugs under the Drugs (Prices Control) Order have price ceilings.
• India's out-of-pocket expenditure is 43.4% of total health expenditure, and medicines make up about 70% of it.
• A 2019 NPPA pilot on 42 drugs cut MRPs by up to 90% for 526 brands.

Useful for questions on affordable healthcare and drug price regulation, and why implementation must be monitored at the patient level.

• The Maldives has joined the Saudi Arabia-led Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition (IMCTC).
• India has supported the Maldives through extensions for T-bills, debt restructuring, credit lines and currency swaps.

Feeds questions on India's neighbourhood policy and security in the Indian Ocean Region as small states diversify partners.

• The Code on Social Security merged nine social security laws and was the first to legally define gig and platform workers.
• Aggregators must contribute 1% to 2% of annual turnover to the Social Security Fund, capped at 5% of the amount payable to workers.

Shows how the Labour Codes are being implemented for gig and platform workers, a key test of extending social security to the informal workforce.

2024 · GS3 · 15 marks Discuss the merits and demerits of the four 'Labour Codes' in the context of labour market reforms in India. What has been the progress so far in this regard?

How to use it: The notified boards and the aggregator contribution under the Code on Social Security show implementation progress and a merit of the Labour Codes for gig workers.

• Under the Liberalised Remittance Scheme, a resident individual can remit up to $250,000 a financial year for permitted current and capital account transactions.
• The scheme began in 2004 with a limit of $25,000.

Useful for capital account liberalisation and its link to the rupee and forex reserves.

• Aviation is a Union List subject in the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution.
• The DGCA is the statutory civil aviation safety regulator.

An example for disaster risk and regulation in tourism in fragile Himalayan areas, such as the Char Dham pilgrimage.

• NavIC, formerly IRNSS, provides positioning, navigation and timing services over India and a region extending 1,500 km beyond its borders.
• GSLV is a three-stage vehicle whose indigenous cryogenic upper stage uses liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen.
• GSLV-F18 was the 20th flight of the GSLV.

Supports answers on India's indigenous navigation system and strategic autonomy in space technology.

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 a region extending 1,500 km beyond its borders, which helps judge the statement on IRNSS coverage.

• VAYU's Unity of Effort pillar is aligned with the national JAI vision of Jointness, Aatmanirbharta and Innovation.
• Dixit is an experimental test pilot and qualified flying instructor with over 3,500 flying hours.

Useful for questions on jointness and self-reliance in the armed forces.