- Uttar Pradesh Launches Mission Shakti Phase Five for Women’s Safety
SUBJECT: Polity
- Uttar Pradesh launched the fifth phase of Mission Shakti on September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five, coinciding with Sharadiya Navratri, to enhance women’s safety through upgraded helplines, awareness campaigns, and community mobilization across all seventy-five districts.
- The initiative focuses on zero-tolerance for gender-based violence, integrating digital tools for quick reporting and support services under the broader National Mission for Empowerment of Women.
- The Election Commission de-listed four hundred seventy-four registered unrecognised political parties on September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five, for non-compliance with annual financial reporting norms, invoking Section twenty-nine A of the Representation of the People Act, nineteen fifty-one, to curb misuse of tax exemptions.
- Concepts: Article three hundred twenty-four empowers the Election Commission with supervisory authority over elections; Cooperative Federalism involves state-led programs like Mission Shakti aligning with national gender justice goals under Articles fourteen and fifteen.
2. CAG Report Exposes State Fiscal Strains with Debt Surge
SUBJECT: National Issues
- The Comptroller and Auditor General’s State Finances Publication two thousand twenty-five, highlighted on September twenty-second, revealed states’ salary bills rose two point five times to sixteen point six lakh crore rupees over the decade, while public debt escalated three point four times to fifty-nine point six lakh crore rupees, urging fiscal reforms for sustainability.
- Bihar government announced a new unemployment assistance scheme on September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five, offering monthly stipends to graduates to boost skills, reduce rural migration, and foster local employment with an initial five hundred crore rupee allocation.
- Kurmi community protests in Jharkhand and Bihar intensified on September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five, demanding Scheduled Tribe status, spotlighting needs for updated caste censuses and equitable affirmative action policies.
- Concepts: Fiscal Federalism governs Centre-State devolution via Finance Commission recommendations; Social Justice involves reservation mechanisms under Articles fifteen and sixteen for marginalized communities.
3. Rajnath Singh’s Morocco Visit Marks Defence Milestone
SUBJECT: International
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s two-day visit to Morocco, commencing September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five—the first by an Indian counterpart—aims to forge joint military exercises, counter-terrorism pacts, and defence trade deals to strengthen India-Africa ties.
- India and Japan advanced the Artificial Intelligence Initiative and Economic Security Initiative on September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five, post-Prime Minister Modi’s Tokyo visit, focusing on resilient supply chains for semiconductors and critical minerals amid global disruptions.
- Nepal’s President called for dialogue on September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five, amid youth protests following Prime Minister Oli’s resignation, with India monitoring closely due to shared borders, hydropower projects, and eight million Nepali migrants.
- Concepts: Act East Policy enhances strategic partnerships in the Indo-Pacific; Bilateral Diplomacy facilitates memorandums of understanding for technology transfer under QUAD-aligned frameworks.
4. LEADS Two Thousand Twenty-Five Index Drives Logistics and Export Growth
SUBJECT: Economy
- The Logistics Ease Across States two thousand twenty-five index, launched on September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five, during Make in India events, ranks states on supply chain performance, with Tamil Nadu leading to potentially add one to two percent to national gross domestic product via infrastructure upgrades.
- India’s defence exports reached twenty-three thousand six hundred twenty-two crore rupees in financial year two thousand twenty-five, led by Munitions India Limited, targeting fifty thousand crore rupees by two thousand twenty-nine through indigenisation and international collaborations in drones and artillery.
- Goods and Services Tax Council introduced a simplified two-tier regime on September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five, cutting essential rates to zero to five percent and luxuries to eighteen percent, expected to stimulate consumer spending and stabilize inflation at four point five percent.
- Concepts: Ease of Doing Business involves LEADS reforms reducing logistics costs from fourteen percent of gross domestic product; Fiscal Prudence balances Goods and Services Tax adjustments with revenue and economic stimulus.
5. Indian Forces Depart for Zapad Two Thousand Twenty-Five in Russia
SUBJECT: Defence
- Indian Armed Forces contingent left for Russia on September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five, to join Exercise Zapad two thousand twenty-five at Mulino Training Ground, simulating high-intensity warfare and counter-terrorism with over twenty nations for enhanced interoperability.
- Following Operation Sindoor’s triumph, the Indian Air Force proposed acquiring one hundred fourteen advanced fighters like Tejas Mark Two on September twenty-second, two thousand twenty-five, incorporating artificial intelligence for precision strikes on terror infrastructure along borders.
- Defence Public Sector Undertakings achieved record financial year two thousand twenty-five profits after corporatisation, with Rajnath Singh urging fifteen percent research and development investment on September twenty-second to reach seventy percent indigenisation under Atmanirbhar Bharat by two thousand twenty-seven.
- Concepts: Integrated Theatre Commands boosts tri-service coordination in multinational exercises; Defence Indigenisation aligns with Article fifty-one A (k) for technological self-reliance in security.
