# UPSC current affairs, 5 November 2026 URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/ 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 ### SC: two-child bars on poll candidates have lost relevance; Javed goes to larger Bench URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/two-child-norm-javed-reference/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/two-child-norm-javed-reference.md) Source: The Hindu, Page 1. UPSC papers: GS2, GS1 **In one line:** The Supreme Court says penal two-child rules for local office belong to a demographic past, and has asked a larger Bench to revisit its 2003 approval of them. Prelims facts: - On 4 November 2026 a Bench of Justices P.S. Narasimha and Alok Aradhe referred Javed v. State of Haryana (2003) to a larger Bench for reconsideration. - The case arose from a sarpanch's disqualification under Section 14(1)(j-1) of the Maharashtra Village Panchayats Act, 1959, for having more than two children. - The Court noted India's TFR fell from about 3 in 2003 to 1.9, below the replacement level of 2.1. - The Court tied reproductive decisions to personal liberty under Article 21; a two-judge Bench cannot overrule a three-judge ruling, hence the reference. - Six States still retain such bars for local bodies: Assam, Goa, Gujarat, Maharashtra, Odisha and Uttarakhand. ### SC closes 27-year-old reference, says Kodar governs States' surcharges on sales tax URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/sales-tax-surcharge-kodar-reference/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/sales-tax-surcharge-kodar-reference.md) Source: The Hindu, Page 10. UPSC papers: GS2, GS3 **In one line:** A seven-judge Bench has said the old fight over States' surcharges on sales tax is over, and that the 1974 Kodar ruling decides it. Prelims facts: - On 4 November 2026 a seven-judge Bench led by CJI Surya Kant held the Arjun Flour Mills reference infructuous and said S. Kodar (1974) governs State competence. - Section 5-A of the Orissa Sales Tax Act, 1947 levied a surcharge of ten per cent of tax payable on dealers with gross turnover above ₹10 lakh. - The apparent conflict came from India Cement (1990), whose premise that royalty is a tax was overruled by the nine-judge MADA ruling in 2024. - The 101st Amendment (2016) inserted Article 246A for GST and narrowed Entry 54 of List II to petroleum products and alcoholic liquor. - Questions on Punjab's surcharge on exempt units and its social security cess under Article 266 were left open for regular Benches. ### Cabinet extends fast-track courts for rape and POCSO cases to 2031 with ₹3,788 crore URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/ftsc-scheme-extended-2031/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/ftsc-scheme-extended-2031.md) Source: The Hindu, Page 12. UPSC papers: GS2, GS1 **In one line:** The Centre has extended its fast-track court scheme for rape and child sexual abuse trials by five years and plans to raise the number of courts from 779 to 850. Prelims facts: - On 4 November 2026 the Cabinet extended the FTSC scheme from 1 April 2026 to 31 March 2031 with an outlay of ₹3,788.04 crore. - The Central share of ₹2,353.15 crore comes from the Nirbhaya Fund; States and UTs bear ₹1,434.89 crore. - 779 FTSCs, including 399 exclusive POCSO courts, are functional in 29 States and UTs and have disposed of 4,02,457 cases; the target is 850 courts. - The scheme began on 2 October 2019 after the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2018 and a Supreme Court suo motu direction of 25 July 2019. - Each FTSC has one judicial officer, one special public prosecutor and six support staff. ### Op-ed: Double-fortified salt is no quick fix for India's many-sided anaemia problem URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/anaemia-double-fortified-salt-oped/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/anaemia-double-fortified-salt-oped.md) Source: The Hindu, Lead article (Page 6). UPSC papers: GS2, GS3 **In one line:** A Hindu lead article argues that adding iron to salt cannot solve anaemia, which has many causes, and that DFS should be piloted carefully before any national rollout. Prelims facts: - NFHS-5 (2019-21) found 67.1% of children aged 6 to 59 months and 57% of women aged 15 to 49 anaemic, up from 58.6% and 53.1% in NFHS-4. - Double-fortified salt carries both iodine and iron; the op-ed argues it should be piloted with monitoring before any national rollout. - Non-haem iron absorption is reduced by phytates, polyphenols (tea), calcium and by hepcidin during infection; vitamin C improves it. - People with thalassaemia or sickle cell disease are at risk of iron overload, which complicates universal iron fortification. - Anaemia Mukt Bharat, launched in 2018, followed a 6x6x6 strategy of beneficiary groups, interventions and institutional mechanisms. ### Op-ed: BRICS carbon partnership should build a common rulebook before a common market URL: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/brics-carbon-markets-rulebook-oped/ (Markdown: https://upsc.help/current-affairs/2026-11-05/brics-carbon-markets-rulebook-oped.md) Source: The Hindu, Opinion (Page 6). UPSC papers: GS3, GS2 **In one line:** An op-ed argues that BRICS should first agree on how to measure and verify emission cuts, and test small transfers, before thinking of a shared carbon market. Prelims facts: - The New Delhi Declaration of the 18th BRICS Summit (12 September 2026) looked forward to implementing the MoU on the BRICS Carbon Markets Partnership. - The op-ed argues the partnership should first agree common MRV rules and mutual recognition of verifiers, then run a small Article 6.2 pilot. - The EU CBAM's definitive phase began on 1 January 2026; the UK's CBAM starts on 1 January 2027. - China and India use emission-intensity benchmarks, while Brazil plans an absolute cap; no BRICS carbon market is linked to another. - Under Article 6.2, a country transferring emission reductions must make a corresponding adjustment so the same tonne is not counted twice.