UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 1 October 2025

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 1 October 2025 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles

InstaLinks :  Insta Links help you think beyond the  current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background.

Table of Contents 

GS Paper 2 : (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 1 October (2025)

1. UPSC at 100: Guardian of Meritocracy and Nation-Building

Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):

1. The Courage of Jiya Rai

Facts for Prelims (FFP):

1. International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

2. India-European Free Trade Association Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA)

3. The Nobel Peace Prize

4. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Mapping:

1. India’s Second Mineral Exploration Contract

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 1 October 2025

GS Paper 2:

UPSC at 100: Guardian of Meritocracy and Nation-Building

Syllabus: Constitutional Bodies

Source:  TH

Context: The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) marked its centenary on 1 October 2025, completing 100 years since its establishment in 1926.

• It celebrates its legacy as the guardian of meritocracy and impartial civil service recruitment in India.

About UPSC at 100: Guardian of Meritocracy and Nation-Building

Historical Evolution of UPSC:

• Colonial Origins: The Government of India Act, 1919 first proposed a central recruitment body, and in 1926, the Public Service Commission was set up under the Lee Commission (1924) to ensure impartiality.

Eg: Sir Ross Barker became the first Chairman.

• Federal Public Service Commission (1935): The Government of India Act, 1935 elevated it, granting Indians greater authority in administrative recruitment under colonial rule.
• Post-Independence Transition (1950): Articles 315–323 of the Constitution transformed it into the Union Public Service Commission, giving it constitutional autonomy for impartial selection.
• Present Role: Now UPSC conducts a wide range of exams for civil, engineering, medical, forest, defence, and statistical services, shaping the backbone of Indian governance.

Core Principles of UPSC:

• Meritocracy: Selection is based solely on ability and performance, eliminating privilege and patronage.

Eg: Success stories like Ira Singhal (2014 topper) from small-town India showcase inclusivity.

• Fairness: Equal access is provided across caste, gender, and language, making UPSC exams socially equitable.

Eg: Candidates may write Mains in any of the 22 scheduled languages, ensuring linguistic justice.

• Integrity: The Commission maintains independence from politics, ensures confidentiality, and resists malpractice.

Eg: Anonymous evaluation of scripts across 48 subjects safeguards neutrality.

• Efficiency in Complexity: UPSC handles 10–12 lakh prelim applicants annually across 2,500+ centres with smooth logistics and strict timelines.

Contributions to Nation-Building:

• Ensuring Administrative Continuity: UPSC officers have led governance during wars, reforms, disasters, and pandemic crises, ensuring institutional stability.
• Inclusivity in Governance: Recruitment now spans rural, semi-urban, and marginalised groups, strengthening social representation.

Eg: DoPT data shows over 60% of recent successful candidate’s hail from rural backgrounds.

• Professionalising Civil Services: UPSC inculcates neutrality, probity, and efficiency, crucial for effective democratic governance.
• Reinforcing Federalism: By selecting for All-India Services (IAS, IPS, IFoS), UPSC ensures Union–State administrative balance.

Recent Reforms:

• Technological Integration: Introduced online portals and biometric/face-recognition tools to reduce impersonation and fraud.
• PRATIBHA Setu: Connects interview-qualified candidates with alternate career opportunities, reducing wasted human capital.
• AI-enabled Recruitment: Plans to use Artificial Intelligence for efficient screening, evaluation, and fraud detection.
• Digital Inclusivity: Special arrangements for differently-abled candidates make exams more accessible and fairer.

Challenges Ahead:

• Changing Skill Demands: Future governance requires officers skilled in AI, cybersecurity, data, and climate governance, beyond traditional administration.
• Equity Concerns: High coaching costs and urban bias may erode the level playing field intended by UPSC.
• Exam Overload: With a 1:1000 selection ratio, aspirants face intense financial, psychological, and social pressure.
• Evolving Public Expectations: Citizens now expect faster, tech-enabled, transparent governance, demanding upgraded skills.

Way Forward:

• Curricular Updates: Civil service training must include digital governance, climate change, and global affairs for relevance.
• Inclusive Support: Expand rural outreach, financial scholarships, and digital learning to ensure equal opportunity.
• Continuous Training: Strengthen Mid-Career Training Programmes (MCTPs) to reskill officers in emerging challenges.
• Strengthening Ethics: Deepen integration of values like empathy, integrity, and accountability into training and service culture.

Conclusion:

The UPSC at 100 is more than an exam body — it is the guardian of India’s meritocracy. By nurturing competent, diverse, and ethical officers, it has steered the nation through wars, reforms, and crises. As India moves toward Viksit Bharat 2047, UPSC must adapt while upholding its core values of fairness, integrity, and trust.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 1 October 2025 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

The Courage of Jiya Rai

Context: In September 2025, Jiya Rai, a 17-year-old para swimmer with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), became the first autistic female to successfully swim across the 34 km Catalina Channel in the US, completing the feat in 15 hours despite freezing waters, jellyfish stings, treacherous currents, and the darkness of night. She dedicated her achievement to autism awareness, turning a personal therapy into a global message of resilience.

Earlier, Jiya had completed an 1,100 km Mumbai–Goa–Mumbai relay swim (2022), for which she was conferred the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar. Her journey reflects the triumph of perseverance over adversity and highlights how inclusivity transforms disability into extraordinary ability.

Her achievement also draws attention to the importance of early interventions and supportive environments in nurturing hidden talents among differently-abled children. It symbolizes the growing recognition of para-athletes in India’s sporting ecosystem. Jiya’s courage serves as an inspirational anecdote for policy debates on disability rights, women empowerment, and inclusive growth. Ultimately, her feat reminds us that true strength lies in overcoming inner barriers as much as external challenges.

Relevance in UPSC Exam

• Essay Paper: Illustrates themes of courage, inclusivity, disability empowerment, women achievers, or perseverance.
• GS-I (Society): Example for women empowerment, disability rights, and inspirational social change.
• GS-IV (Ethics & Integrity): Demonstrates values of resilience, determination, inclusivity, and service beyond self.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 1 October 2025 Facts for Prelims (FFP)

International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)

Source:  PIB

Context: India has been re-elected to Part II of the ICAO Council (2025–2028) during the 42nd ICAO Assembly in Montreal.

About International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO):

What it is?

• A specialized UN agency facilitating global cooperation in civil aviation.
• Provides a framework for safe, secure, and sustainable international air transport.

Established in:

• 1944, under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation.
• Headquarters: Montreal, Canada.
• Membership: 193 States.

Aim:

• Develop and harmonize international civil aviation standards.
• Ensure safety, security, environmental protection, and fair growth of global aviation.
• Promote equitable air connectivity and no country left behind approach.

Functions:

• Standard-Setting: Frames SARPs (Standards and Recommended Practices).
• Governance: ICAO Council (36 members) elected every three years by Assembly.
• Strategic Function:

• Standard-Setting: Issues SARPs (Standards and Recommended Practices).
• Safety Oversight: Implements the Global Aviation Safety Plan (GASP).
• Air Navigation Efficiency: Enhances infrastructure and capacity.
• Security & Facilitation: Strengthens aviation and border security.
• Economic Development: Supports harmonised air transport frameworks.
• Environmental Protection: Promotes sustainable aviation fuels and climate-friendly practices.

India and ICAO:

• Founding member (1944) with uninterrupted presence on Council for 81 years.
• Actively contributes to policy, regulation, and aviation standards.
• Reaffirms commitment to safety, security, innovation, and equitable global connectivity.

India-European Free Trade Association Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA)

Source:  News on Air

Context: India–European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA) will come into effect on 1st October 2025.

• It is India’s first FTA with four developed European nations, promising $100 bn investments and 1 million jobs in 15 years.

About India-European Free Trade Association Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement (TEPA):

What it is?

• A comprehensive Free Trade Agreement (FTA) between India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA).
• First Indian FTA linking trade, investment, and job creation commitments.

Signed in:

• Signed on 10th March 2024 at New Delhi.
• To be operational from 1^st October 2025.

Nations Involved (EFTA members): Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein.

• Switzerland is India’s largest EFTA trade partner.

Aim:

• Attract $100 bn FDI in 15 years and generate 1 million direct jobs.
• Expand market access for Indian goods and services.
• Promote sustainable development, skills, and technology transfer.

Key Features of TEPA:

1. Investment & Employment:
   • $100 bn FDI commitment from EFTA in 15 years.
   • Creation of 1 million direct jobs in India’s manufacturing & services.
2. Market Access for Goods: EFTA offers zero-duty access on 92.2% tariff lines (99.6% of India’s exports).
3. Services & Mobility:
   • Commitments in 100+ sub-sectors (IT, education, audio-visual, business services).
   • Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) in nursing, architecture, chartered accountancy.
   • Facilitates Mode 1 (digital delivery), Mode 3 (commercial presence), Mode 4 (personnel mobility).
4. Intellectual Property Rights:
   • TRIPS+ standard with safeguards for generic medicines.
   • Prevents patent evergreening while protecting innovation.
5. Sustainable Development:
   • Emphasis on green growth, social inclusion, environmental protection.
   • Encourages technology collaboration in renewable energy, precision engineering, and health sciences.

The Nobel Peace Prize

Source:  DH

Context: The 2025 Nobel Peace Prize will be declared on 10 October in Oslo, with thousands of nominations highlighting global peace efforts.

About The Nobel Peace Prize:

What it is?

• One of the six Nobel Prizes established through the will of Alfred Nobel (1895).
• Awarded annually since 1901 for outstanding contributions to peace.
• Carries a gold medal, diploma, and SEK 11 million (~$1.2 million).

Eligibility:

• Any individual or organisation fulfilling Nobel’s criteria:
  • Promoting fellowship among nations.
  • Working for abolition/reduction of standing armies.
  • Advancing peace congresses and global harmony.
• Nomination Authority:
  • Heads of state, parliamentarians, government members.
  • University professors (law, history, philosophy, social sciences).
  • Former Nobel laureates.
  • Certain NGOs and international judges.

Selection Process:

• Nominations close: 31 January each year.
• Committee formation: 5 members appointed by the Norwegian Parliament (reflecting party balance).
• Evaluation: Shortlist prepared; assessed by permanent advisers and external experts.
• Deliberation: Committee meets monthly; seeks consensus, else majority vote.
• Decision: Announced in October; award presented in Oslo on 10 December (Alfred Nobel’s death anniversary).

Key Features:

• Independent Norwegian Nobel Committee conducts the selection.
• Confidentiality rule: Full nomination lists sealed for 50 years.
• Prizes may be awarded to individuals or organisations.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh

Source:  TH

Context: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the ideological parent of the BJP, is celebrating its centenary year in 2025.

About Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh:

What it is?

• A socio-cultural organisation promoting the idea of a Hindu Rashtra.
• Known as the ideological fount of the Sangh Parivar.

Established in: Founded on 27 September 1925 by K.B. Hedgewar, a physician from Nagpur.

Headquarters: Nagpur, Maharashtra.

Aims:

• Foster unity among Hindus by transcending caste, regional and sectarian divides.
• Promote discipline, service, and cultural revival.
• Reclaim the idea of Akhand Bharat and establish India as a Vishwa Guru (global leader).

Key Contributions to India’s Freedom Movement:

• Civil Disobedience Movement (1930): Hedgewar and several swayamsevaks joined the Jungle Satyagraha against British forest laws in Central Provinces, though RSS officially stayed away.
• Poorna Swaraj Day (1930): All RSS shakhas observed 26 January 1930 as Independence Day, hoisting the saffron flag instead of the Congress tricolour.
• Relief during Partition (1947): RSS organised refugee camps in Punjab, Delhi, and Bengal to shelter and rehabilitate displaced Hindus.
• Dialogue with Gandhi (Sept 1947): Gandhi praised RSS discipline, simplicity, and service spirit while cautioning against its exclusivist Hindu-only nationalism.
• Post-Independence Transition (1948–51): After Gandhi’s assassination (by Nathuram Godse, linked to RSS/Hindu Mahasabha), the RSS was banned. To channel political aspirations, Golwalkar supported the creation of Bharatiya Jana Sangh (1951) under Syama Prasad Mookerjee.

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 1 October 2025 Mapping:

India’s Second Mineral Exploration Contract

Source:  IE

Context: India has secured a second exploration contract from the International Seabed Authority (ISA) for Polymetallic Sulphides (PMS) in the Carlsberg Ridge, Indian Ocean.

• This makes India the first country with two PMS contracts, commanding the largest allocated area for PMS exploration globally.

About India’s Second Mineral Exploration Contract:

What it is?

• Signed with ISA under UNCLOS framework for a 10,000 sq. km area in Carlsberg Ridge.
• Exploration will be carried out by the National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR) from 2026.

Aim:

• To secure strategic minerals critical for India’s energy transition, high-tech manufacturing, and resource security.
• To strengthen India’s role in the Blue Economy and Deep Ocean Mission.

Features:

• Builds on India’s first PMS contract (2016) in Central & Southwest Indian Ridge.
• Exploration plan:
  1. Reconnaissance surveys (ship-mounted tools).
  2. Near-seabed surveys (AUVs, ROVs).
  3. Resource evaluation of deposits.
• Supported by India’s Samudrayaan mission and deep-sea technology development.

About Carlsberg Ridge:

What it is?

• A major mid-ocean ridge system in the Indian Ocean formed by seafloor spreading.

Located in:

• Extends from the triple junction of African, Indian & Australian plates (near 2°N, 66°E) towards the Gulf of Aden.
• Separates Arabian Sea (NE) from Somali Basin (SW).

Features:

• Formed ~40 million years ago, with a spreading rate of 2.4–3.3 cm/year.
• Depth: 1,800–3,600 m below sea surface.
• Has median valley, rugged topography, typical of slow-spreading ridges.
• Known for hydrothermal vent systems, rich in PMS deposits.
• Closer to India (~2°N) than earlier exploration sites (~26°S).
• Lies in a seismically active zone, linked to the East African Rift System.

About Polymetallic Sulphides (PMS):

What it is?

• Mineral deposits formed on ocean floors near hydrothermal vents.
• Created when cold seawater interacts with magma, ejects hot mineral-rich fluids, depositing solids on seabed.

Found in: Along mid-ocean ridges and hydrothermal vent fields at depths of 2,000–5,000 m.

Composition: Rich in copper, zinc, lead, silver, gold, and trace amounts of rare/precious metals.

Applications:

• Electronics & high-tech industries (copper, rare metals).
• Green energy systems (zinc, silver for solar & batteries).
• Strategic use in aerospace, defence, and clean-tech manufacturing.

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