UPSC Daily News Summaries: Essential Current Affairs, Key Issues and Important Updates for Civil Services

Keep pace with the forces and trends transforming our world — from policy and economy to technology and global developments.

Daily News Capsules

1. 2030 Commonwealth Games set for Ahmedabad

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Ahmedabad will likely host the Commonwealth Games (CWG) in 2030, as the competition’s executive board on Wednesday recommended the Gujarat city for the centenary edition of the event. Now, only a final greenlight during the organisation’s general assembly next month, a process expected to be a formality, remains before the CWG’s return to India is ratified. Nigeria’s capital Abuja was the only other contender in fray. The proposal will be before the general assembly of the Commonwealth Sport, the event’s governing body, in Glasgow on November 26. This will not only bring CWG back to India after two decades – New Delhi hosted the 2010 edition – but may also be a significant boost in the country’s bid to host the 2036 Olympics, for which Ahmedabad has been put through a significant sporting infrastructure transformation. Backed by the Union cabinet, the Indian Olympic Association had launched the bid to bring CWG to the country earlier this year. Officials of the Commonwealth Sport also visited Ahmedabad a few times to inspect the infrastructure.

Q: India’s successful bid to host the 2030 Commonwealth Games has renewed debates about mega sporting events. Critically assess the opportunities and risks for India in terms of urban transformation, soft power, and financial sustainability, with reference to past experiences such as the 2010 Delhi CWG.

2. Brics, an attack on dollar, says Trump

US President Donald Trump has called the Brics grouping an “attack” on the US dollar, claiming that he threatened nations seeking to join the bloc with tariffs following which “everybody dropped out”, PTI reported. Brics comprises Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa, Egypt, Ethiopia, Indonesia, Iran, and the United Arab Emirates. Trump has often threatened to impose additional tariffs on the bloc for what he calls its “anti-American” policies. The Brics nations have voiced serious concerns about the rise of unilateral tariff and non-tariff measures which distort trade. Speaking at a bilateral meeting with Argentine President Javier Milei on Tuesday, Trump said he was “very strong” on the dollar, adding that “anybody who wants to deal in dollars” will have an “advantage” over those who do not. The Kremlin said on Wednesday that Brics has never targeted third countries or their currencies. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters that Brics was a grouping of nations united by a shared vision of cooperation and prosperity.

Q: BRICS nations have sought to diversify trade and reduce reliance on the US dollar, while the US views this as an economic threat. Evaluate the implications of de-dollarisation for global trade and financial stability. What strategies should India adopt to safeguard its economic autonomy while engaging with BRICS?

3. RBI keeps powder dry for future cuts, show minutes

India’s Monetary Policy Committee unanimously voted to keep interest rates unchanged earlier this month to keep the powder dry and leave room for future cuts depending on the situation, showed minutes released on Wednesday. However, there were differences around the stance of the monetary policy among members of the panel of six, with two external candidates—Nagesh Kumar and Ram Singh—in favour of changing it from neutral to accommodative. An accommodative stance would signal that the central bank supports growth and indicates that interest rates could go down, whereas a neutral stance allows the rate-setting panel to decide the course based on fresh data. “There is elevated uncertainty on the external front,” said RBI Governor Sanjay Malhotra. “...even though there is policy space to further cut the policy rate, I feel this is not the opportune time for the same as it will not have the desirable impact.” He said that the benign outlook for headline and core inflation opens up policy space to further support growth. But he, like other panel members, was in favour of waiting for the full impact of fiscal and monetary measures to permeate through the economy, even as Donald Trump’s tariff-related uncertainties remain.

Q: The RBI’s decision to maintain a neutral stance reflects the balance between inflation control and growth support. Discuss the challenges for India’s monetary policy in an environment of global uncertainties and rising

protectionism. How should RBI calibrate its policy to ensure stability without stifling growth?

4. Apple lobbies tax law change to boost India plans

Apple is lobbying India’s government to modify income tax law to ensure the company is not taxed for ownership of high-end iPhone machinery it provides to its contract manufacturers, an issue seen as a hurdle to its future expansion, sources said. The push coincides with Apple’s growing India presence as it diversifies beyond China. Counterpoint Research says iPhone’s share in the Indian market has doubled to 8% since 2022. And while China still accounts for 75% of global iPhone shipments, India’s share has quadrupled to 25% since 2022. Apple’s contract manufacturers Foxconn and Tata have pumped in billions of dollars to open five plants, but millions of those expenses go into acquiring pricey machines for iPhone assembly. Experts said Apple potentially faces billions of dollars in additional taxes if it changes its business practices without convincing New Delhi to change a 1961 law covering foreign ownership of equipment used in India. In China, Apple procures the machines used to make iPhones and gives them to its contract manufacturers, and is not subject to tax even though it still owns them. But that’s not possible in India as the Income Tax Act would consider such ownership by Apple as a so-called “business connection”, making the US firm’s iPhone profits liable for Indian taxes.

Q: Global technology companies like Apple are expanding their manufacturing footprint in India but face legal and regulatory hurdles. Analyse how India’s taxation and investment policies can be reformed to attract high-end manufacturing while safeguarding national revenue interests.

5. Unemployment rate rises to 5.3% in Sept

India’s headline unemployment rate increased to 5.3% in September, the highest since June, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) data published by the National Statistics Office (NSO) on Wednesday. The rate is 20 basis points – one basis point is one hundredth of a percentage point – higher than August, when it was at its lowest value in the monthly series, which started in April this year. Since the series started only this April, it is also not possible to compare the data for the same month year-on-year yet. Labour statistics are usually compared year-on-year because some jobs, such as those in agriculture, are seasonal in nature. The sequential rise in unemployment rate in September was accompanied with a rise in labour force participation. Labour force participation rate (LFPR), which is the share of the population working or looking for a job, increased 30 basis points from August to 41.8% in September, the second highest in the monthly series after April, when LFPR was 42%. The trend in unemployment rate, when read with LFPR, paints a mixed picture of the September unemployment numbers. The numbers read together suggest that the jobs increased in September, but did not keep pace with the surge in demand. This can also be read through the worker population ratio (WPR), which measures the share of workers in the population. WPR was 39.6% in September, up 20 basis points from August and the second highest in the series after April, when the number was 39.8%.

Q: Rising unemployment amid growing labour force participation suggests structural stresses in India’s labour market. Critically analyse the effectiveness of existing employment schemes and propose measures to improve job creation in both the formal and informal sectors.

Editorial Snapshots

A. In spite of the tariff roulette

The ongoing Russian roulette in trade does not mean the larger economy has stopped evolving in its own ways. The World Economic Outlook (WEO) released by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) has drawn attention to this fact. WEO’s short-term commentary is a harbinger of optimism, even if a cautious one. Contrary to many predictions, the US has not been engulfed by a recession or hyperinflation because of President Donald Trump’s tariffs. Growth prospects for most major countries, India included, are marginally better than they were in the July update of WEO. However, IMF has warned that none of this should be inferred to mean that rising protectionism can’t lead to losses in the medium to long term. Additionally, it has flagged four key factors here — the Artificial Intelligence boom, the structural crisis in the Chinese economy, growing fiscal pressures, and an erosion in institutional credibility. These are factors that can have deeply destabilising effects via bursting of asset bubbles, overinvestment in one economy generating headwinds for others and, eventually, imploding, and turmoil in financial and capital markets. As much as economists may want to pretend that these issues are technocratic in nature, they also have deep political-economy roots that require a careful calibration between markets, State and democratic processes. Their successful and safe resolution requires not just national but international cooperation, which can happen only if domestic pressures are under control. It has to be a new deal which prioritises justice without voodoo economics or punters running riot.

Q: The IMF has warned about the medium-term risks of protectionism and financial instability despite short-term growth resilience. Critically examine how India can balance domestic economic priorities with international cooperation to mitigate the risks of trade wars and global financial volatility.

B. Where have all the elephants gone

All’s not well with India’s elephants. A population estimation exercise by the Wildlife Institute of India (Status Of Elephants in India: DNA based synchronous all India population estimation of elephants or SAIEE) has suggested a disturbing decline in their number: The 2025 count is 22,446, 17% lower than in 2017, when the count was 27,312; incidentally, the Centre informed the Lok Sabha in 2024 that the India’s pachyderm population, as per a synchronised estimation, was 29,964. These surveys are not comparable because of methodological differences. Experts have also said that the DNA model employed this time may have underestimated the elephant count. These counters are valid, but there is enough and more evidence to be concerned about the health of the Indian elephant. At least three inferences in the SAIEE report ask for close reading. One, the once-contiguous elephant population in the Western Ghats is rapidly splintering due to changing land use, including expanding commercial plantations. Two, habitats in east-central India face fragmentation and deterioration from unmitigated mining and infrastructure projects. It has prompted long-ranging elephants to venture into human dwellings, escalating human-wildlife conflict. Three, the North East holds the second-largest elephant population in India. But, exploitation of natural resources since colonial times has led to habitat loss and rising conflict with humans. Project Elephant, established in 1992, needs a renewed push.

Q: Recent surveys point to a worrying decline in India’s elephant population, though methodological differences complicate comparisons. Discuss the ecological and socio-economic importance of elephants as a keystone species. Suggest policy and technological interventions to reconcile conservation with development pressures.