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Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for October 18, 2025. If you missed the October 17, 2025, UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here.
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.
What’s the ongoing story: PRIME MINISTER Narendra Modi on Friday met visiting Sri Lanka Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya, and discussed education, women’s empowerment, innovation, development cooperation and welfare of fishermen.
Key Points to Ponder:
— How has the India-Sri Lanka relationship evolved?
— What is the strategic significance of Sri Lanka for India?
— What are the areas of conflict and cooperation between the two nations?
— What is the issue of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of Sri Lanka?
— What is the issue of Katchatheevu Island?
— What can be done to enhance the relationship between India and Sri Lanka?
Key Takeaways:
— Amarasuriya is on a three-day visit to India beginning Thursday, her first trip to the country after assuming office.
— The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said Modi conveyed that Amarasuriya’s visit would impart fresh momentum to the “historic and multi-faceted India-Sri Lanka ties”.
— It said the two leaders discussed measures to strengthen cooperation in a number of areas, including education, technology, innovation development cooperation and welfare of Indian fishermen.
— Highlighting the special ties between India and Sri Lanka, Modi reaffirmed India’s commitment to work together in the shared development journey of the two countries, it said.
— During her visit, Amarasuriya toured the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi, where she interacted with researchers and faculty members. According to officials, the visit focused on India–Sri Lanka collaboration in higher education and innovation.
Do You Know:
— A resolution was passed by the Tamil Nadu Assembly in April this year urging the Centre to retrieve Katchatheevu Island, ceded to Sri Lanka, as a permanent solution to protect the traditional fishing rights of the state’s fishermen.
— Katchatheevu is a 285-acre patch in the sea within the maritime boundary line of Sri Lanka. It lies northeast of Rameswaram, about 33 km from the Indian coast. It is about 62 km southwest of Jaffna, at the northern tip of Sri Lanka, and 24 km away from the inhabited Delft Island, belonging to Sri Lanka.
— Another issue between India and Sri Lanka is the implementing the 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution — which flows from the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord of 1987. In a reply to a starred question in Rajya Sabha, the response follows that the Indian PM has expressed hope that the Sri Lankan government would fulfill the aspirations of the Tamil people as well as their commitment towards fully implementing the Constitution of Sri Lanka.
— The 13th Amendment to Sri Lanka’s constitution was made after the signing of the Indo-Sri Lanka Accord between Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and President J R Jayewardene, on July 29, 1987, in Colombo. It deals with the devolution of land and police powers to the provinces in Sri Lanka. India has been pressing Sri Lanka to fully implement the 13th Amendment as the answer to the Tamil demand for political autonomy for the Northern and Eastern regions.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍India-Sri Lanka ties — Why Katchatheevu Island is important for UPSC
📍Won’t allow use of Sri Lanka soil to target India, Dissanayake tells PM
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(1) Elephant Pass, sometimes seen in the news, is mentioned in the context of the affairs of which one of the following? (UPSC CSE 2009)
(a) Bangladesh
(b) India
(c) Nepal
(d) Sri Lanka
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
‘India is an age-old friend of Sri Lanka.’ Discuss India’s role in the recent crisis in Sri Lanka in the light of the preceding statement. (UPSC CSE 2022)
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Challenges to internal security through communication networks, role of media and social networking sites in internal security challenges, basics of cyber security; money-laundering and its prevention.
What’s the ongoing story: Just months before a 72-year-old man in Mumbai fell prey to a Rs 58-crore digital arrest scam, one of the largest cyber cons in the country, he received Rs 50 crore for liquidating his shares in a pharmaceutical company where he was a partner, The Indian Express has learnt.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is digital arrest?
— What is the Prevention of Money Laundering Act?
— What are the reasons for the increase in cyber crimes?
— What are the initiatives taken by the government to handle the increased cases of digital arrest?
— What individual initiatives need to be taken?
— What is the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C)?
Key Takeaways:
— While the money came into his account “earlier this year”, officers associated with the probe told this newspaper, the man was first contacted via video call by digital scamsters on August 19.
— The Maharashtra Cyber police, which is probing the case, arrested seven persons in the case on Wednesday and Thursday.
— An officer said that in some cases, withdrawals were made by the scamsters from banks using cheques to break the link of accounts across which the money had been transferred.
— TAKING NOTE of the rising instances of people being defrauded through “digital arrests”, the Supreme Court on Friday sought the response of the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and the CBI in the matter.
Do You Know:
— While the digital age has brought unparalleled convenience and connectivity, it has also seen a parallel and alarming rise in cybercrime. This surge is attributed to the increasing penetration of the Internet and digital services across the globe, making more individuals and organizations vulnerable to cyber threats.
— Cybercrime encompasses a wide range of malicious activities, including identity theft, online fraud, financial fraud, hacking, cyberstalking, and the distribution of harmful software, among others. Digital Arrest is a form of online fraud.
— A “Digital Arrest” scam involves fraudsters impersonating law enforcement via video calls, threatening fake arrests to extort money.
— In the majority of cases, online frauds and criminals typically call potential victims and tell them that they have sent or are the intended recipients of a parcel containing illegal goods, drugs, fake passports or any other contraband item. In some cases, the criminals contact relatives or friends of the target and tell them that the target has been found to be involved in a crime or an accident, and is in their custody.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍UPSC Knowledge Nugget of the day: Digital Arrest
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(2) In India, it is legally mandatory for which of the following to report on cyber security incidents? (UPSC CSE 2017)
1. Service providers
2. Data centres
3. Body corporate
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 only
(b) 1 and 2 only
(c) 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
What are the different elements of cyber security ? Keeping in view the challenges in cyber security, examine the extent to which India has successfully developed a comprehensive National Cyber Security Strategy. (UPSC CSE 2022)
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Issues relating to development and management of Social Sector/Services relating to Health, Education, Human Resources.
What’s the ongoing story: For years, the Hyderabad-based paediatrician, Dr Sivaranjini Santhosh, has been collecting stories like these — heartbreaking accounts from parents, colleagues and anxious relatives who reach out to her through her social media platforms.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is ORS?
— Who is responsible for food regulation in India?
— What are the challenges of food regulation in India?
— What is a trademark?
— What happens when excess sugar is added to ORS?
— What are the concerns related to ORS?
— What is the role and function of the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI)?
Key Takeaways:
— On Wednesday, the country’s food regulator issued an order banning all beverages from using the term ORS in their trademarked name, withdrawing an earlier order allowing the term with disclaimers.
— Her journey started with educating people on social media around eight years ago — she saw children coming to her clinics who were severely dehydrated despite being given what the parents assumed was an ORS solution.
— But she knew that was not enough. These products were not only giving children excess sugar; they were actively harming their health.
— “Even if a product carries the warning ‘not ORS’ — which many of the new products do not — people still think that it is an ORS solution because that’s what the brand name suggests. It misleads people into choosing products that can actually worsen the diarrhoea in children and may even lead to deaths if timely medical intervention does not happen,” said Dr Santhosh
— “ORS is a medical product that has saved millions of lives. Around 13 per cent of the deaths in children under the age of five years happen because of diarrhoea and ORS is an effective tool for preventing these deaths.”
— “There is a fixed formula for how much glucose, sodium chloride and potassium chloride should be present in the ORS solution. This formula is such that the sugar and salt actually pull water with them into the body and rehydrate a person. Any excess sugar will actually pull the water back into the gut and worsen the diarrhoea,” she explained.
— Then came an April 2022 order where the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) restricted the use of the term ORS, but the relief did not last long.
— Her struggle came to fore earlier this month when she posted a video about the deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh after consuming tainted syrup. She asked a simple question — how could doctors alone ensure the safety of children when regulators kept allowing harmful products to enter the market.
— And, finally, the FSSAI on Wednesday banned the use of ‘ORS’ in these beverage names.
Do You Know:
— According to WHO- Food standards are a mechanism for promoting food safety and quality among the general public. Food standards ensure that established food safety practices are followed. They provide guidance on hygienic food handling for farmers and processors. They define the maximum levels of additives, contaminants, residues of pesticides, and veterinary drugs that can safely be consumed by all.
— In India, the Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006, provides the legal framework for monitoring the status of food safety, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is the main authority for ensuring food safety.
— Food Safety and Standard Act, 2006: It aims to establish a single reference point for all matters relating to food safety and standards, by moving from multi-level, multi-departmental control to a single line of command. The Act established FSSAI and the State Food Safety Authorities for each State.
— FSSAI: It is an autonomous statutory body established under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India is the administrative Ministry of FSSAI. Its headquarters is in Delhi.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Medicine became poison – and our healthcare and regulatory systems failed
📍UPSC Issue at a Glance | Food Safety : 5 Key Questions You Must Know for Prelims and Mains
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(3) Consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2018)
1. The Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 replaced the Prevention of Food Adulteration Act, 1954.
2. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is under the charge of the Director General of Health Services in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
Elaborate the policy taken by the Government of India to meet the challenges of the food processing sector. (UPSC CSE 2021)
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Various Security forces and agencies and their mandate; Achievements of Indians in science & technology; indigenization of technology and
developing new technology.
What’s the ongoing story: The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk 1A undertook its first public sortie at the Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) facility in Nashik on Friday, a move that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh called a “shining symbol” of India’s growing self-reliance in defence.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas Mk 1A?
— What are the various initiatives taken by the government for self-reliance in defence?
— What are the contemporary challenges of modern warfare?
— What are the different aircrafts of the Indian Airforce?
— What is the Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA)?
— What are different generations in aircraft?
— Is fifth-generation fighter aircraft operational in India?
Key Takeaways:
— The event also marked the formal inauguration of the third production line of the LCA Mk 1A and the second production line of the indigenously made Hindustan Turbo Trainer (HTT)-40 basic trainer aircraft.
— In his address, Singh said India once imported 65-70 per cent of critical military hardware, but is now manufacturing 65 per cent of the equipment on its own soil, highlighting the government’s resolve to increase domestic manufacturing to 100 per cent in the years to come.
— The inaugural flight of the LCA Mk 1A is a step forward towards its delayed formal induction into the Indian Air Force (IAF), which has been facing a decline in its fighter squadron strength. The newly inaugurated production line in Nashik has the capacity to manufacture eight aircraft every year, and can be increased to 10. HAL is expected to produce a total of 24 aircraft annually.
— In his address, Singh highlighted the need to stay ahead of the curve as Artificial Intelligence, cyber warfare, drone systems and next-generation aircraft are shaping the future, and wars are being fought across multiple frontiers.
— According to a government statement, HAL has operationalised the third LCA Mk 1A production line in a record time of two years, fully equipping it with more than 30 structure assembly jigs for all major modules of the aircraft, including centre fuselage, front fuselage, rear fuselage, wings and air intake.
Do You Know:
— The AMCA will be India’s indigenous fifth-generation fighter aircraft. The indigenous Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas is a 4.5-generation single-engine multirole aircraft.
— Loosely put, a generational shift in fighter jets is said to occur when a certain technological innovation cannot be incorporated into an existing aircraft through upgrades and retrospective fit-outs — each new generation comes with a certain significant leap in technology.
— There are currently five generations of fighter jets that are (or were in the past) in active service, with sixth generation jets currently in development.
— Currently, only the US (F-22 and F-35), Russia (Sukhoi Su-57), and China (Chengdu J-20) have developed operational fifth generation aircraft. India is currently developing its own fifth-generation aircraft with AMCA.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍India’s fifth-gen fighter AMCA hits new milestone as Rajnath approves its programme execution model
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(4) Consider the following aircraft: (UPSC CSE 2024)
1. Rafael
2. MiG-29
3. Tejas MK-1
How many of the above are considered fifth generation fighter aircraft?
(a) Only one
(b) Only two
(c) All three
(d) None
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance.
Mains Examination: General Studies-II: Welfare schemes for vulnerable sections of the population by the Centre and States and the performance of these schemes; mechanisms, laws, institutions and Bodies constituted for the protection and betterment of these vulnerable sections
What’s the ongoing story: The Supreme Court on Friday set up a committee under former Delhi High Court judge Justice Asha Menon to formulate, among others, an equal opportunity policy for transgender individuals and to suggest measures for inclusive medical care and protection for gender non-conforming and gender-diverse persons.
Key Points to Ponder:
— What are the problems faced by transgender persons?
— Know about the important Supreme Court rulings in this regard
— Which Supreme Court ruling recognised transgender as ‘third gender’?
— What are the important features of Transgender Persons Act, 2019?
— What are the steps taken by the government for the protection of the transgender persons?
— Suggest measures for inclusive medical care and protection for gender non-conforming and gender-diverse persons
Key Takeaways:
— A two-judge bench presided by Justice J B Pardiwala directed this while awarding compensation to a trans woman teacher, who alleged that her services were unlawfully terminated by a school in Gujarat and one in Uttar Pradesh over her gender identity.
— The court said that it has formulated guidelines and “if any establishment does not have guidelines, we have prescribed that you will follow these guidelines till the Union comes out with policy”
— The plea said the petitioner, Jane Kaushik, was offered a position of a trained graduate teacher, English and Social Sciences, at Children’s Academy in Uttar Pradesh “after undergoing a rigorous selection process in November 2022”.
— “The Petitioner worked for a total of 8 days from 25.11.22 to 2.12.22 during which she was continuously subjected to body shaming, harassment and derogatory name-calling,” the plea said, adding that the petitioner was finally “forced” to resign over the threat that her compensation would be withheld.
Do You Know:
— Last month, the Supreme Court bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justice K Vinod Chandra issued legal notices to the central government, NCERT, and state governments of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, asking them to explain why school curricula are non-inclusive for transgender students.
— Following the measures to enhance transgender students’ access to educational institutions, there should be a mechanism to ensure their postadmission inclusion. It requires a radical change in the culture of the institution.
— Deborah Zalesne rightly notes, “Society (and the law) has learned to view biological sex as the determinant of gender.” Postadmission discrimination based on sex occurs due to biological differences among trans persons, women, and men — particularly citing differences in their external genitalia. Non-provision of separate toilets in schools for transgender students is nothing but discrimination based on sex.
— Thus, without inclusive curricula, access of students from equity-deserving groups remains a half victory.
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍Why Karnataka HC held transgender people can change their name and gender on birth certificates
📍Without inclusive curricula, transgender students’ access to education is a half victory
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(5) In India, Legal Services Authorities provide free legal services to which of the following type of citizens?(UPSC CSE 2020)
1. Person with an annual income of less than Rs 1,00,000
2. Transgender with an annual income of less than Rs 2,00,000
3. Member of Other Backward Classes (OBC) with an annual income of less thanRs `3,00,000
4. All Senior Citizens
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 3 and 4 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1 and 4 only
Syllabus:
Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance
Mains Examination: General Studies-III: Conservation, environmental pollution and degradation, environmental impact assessment.
What’s the ongoing story: The atmospheric concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), the primary driver of climate change, increased by a record amount between 2023 and 2024, according to latest data released by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).
Key Points to Ponder:
— What is the impact of increased concentration of carbon dioxide on the temperature of earth’s atmosphere?
— What is the Paris Agreement?
— What are the main sources of CO2 emissions?
— What are the initiatives taken by India to reduce CO2 emissions?
— What are the different Greenhouse gases?
— One of the causes of the reduced capability of natural sinks in oceans and land to absorb CO2 is global warming itself. Elaborate.
— What are the Greenhouse Gases Emissions Intensity (GEI) Target Rules, 2025?
Key Takeaways:
— Globally averaged CO2 concentration near the Earth’s surface reached 423.9 parts per million in 2024, 3.5 ppm higher than in 2023. The year-on-year increase in this period was significantly higher than the annual average during the 2011-2020 decade.
— The year 2024 was also the warmest year ever recorded, with the global average temperature being 1.55 degrees Celsius higher than pre-industrial times.
— This was the first time that global annual temperatures had crossed the 1.5 degree Celsius threshold, a key limit which, when breached over a long-term period, can result in devastating irreversible impacts.
— The rapidly rising CO2 concentrations underscore the failure of the international climate framework, as represented by the Paris Agreement, to achieve a meaningful slowdown in global emissions.
— CO2 concentrations have been rising consistently over the years. There has been no instance of a decline in the last 40 years, at least. However, the new data from the WMO show that the year-on-year increase between 2023 and 2024 was the highest since these kinds of measurements began in 1957
— The rate of increase in CO2 concentrations had already tripled from an average of 0.8 ppm per year during the 1960s to 2.4 ppm per year between 2011 and 2020. But a 3.5 ppm jump in a year is unprecedented.
— The current CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, 423.9 ppm, is now 152% more than the pre-industrial levels of 278.3 ppm.
— CO2 is the most widespread of the greenhouse gases (GHGs), and is produced in a variety of natural and man-made processes. The emissions from natural processes such as respiration, ocean releases, volcano eruptions, wildfires, or decomposition of organic matter are nearly all absorbed back in other natural processes like photosynthesis, ocean and land sinks, thus maintaining a balance.
— Although CO2 accounts for more than 90% of all accumulated GHGs in the atmosphere, its ability to trap heat is significantly less than other GHGs such as methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O). CH4 is at least 25% more potent than CO2 in its heat-trapping capability, while N2O is about 270 times more potent.
— However, CO2 remains in the atmosphere for a far longer time, about hundreds to thousands of years. As a result, it has a cumulative impact on global warming.
— CO2 is known to have contributed about 66% of the warming that has happened since pre-industrial times, and about 79% in the last decade. In comparison, CH4 is relatively short-lived and remains in the atmosphere for only about 12 to 14 years. N2O disintegrates after about 100 to 120 years.
— The unusually high increase of 3.5 ppm between 2023 and 2024 could not be solely attributed to continued emissions of CO2 from man-made activities, the WMO report said. Variabilities in the natural CO2 loop also had a role to play.
— One of the causes of the reduced capability of natural sinks in oceans and land to absorb CO2 is global warming itself. At higher temperatures, oceans absorb less CO2 due to decreased solubility.
— The concentration of CH4 and N2O also increased in 2024, but the jump was lower than the annual average witnessed in the last decade. CH4 — the second most widely emitted GHG — concentrations increased by 8 parts per billion to reach a level of 1,942 ppb in the atmosphere, while N2O concentrations increased by 1 ppb to reach 338 ppb.
— The new data from the WMO Greenhouse Gas Bulletin underline the enormity of the challenge being faced in restraining the rapid accumulation of GHGs in the atmosphere.
Do You Know:
— The Centre has notified the first legally binding Greenhouse Gas Emission Intensity (GEI) Target Rules, 2025.
— 4 high-emission sectors for which it has been notified are —aluminium, cement, chlor-alkali, and pulp and paper.
— The emission targets were notified by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on October 8.
— India has committed to reducing the emissions intensity of its gross domestic product (the amount of energy used per unit of GDP) by 45 per cent by 2030 compared to 2005 levels, as part of its domestic commitments under the global agreement.
— Greenhouse gases (GHGs) are those gases in the Earth’s atmosphere that trap heat. They allow sunlight to pass through the atmosphere but prevent the heat that sunlight brings from returning into space.
— Essentially, GHGs act like a blanket that envelopes our planet and insulates Earth from the cold of space. This process of maintaining a warmer temperature is called the greenhouse effect.
— The most notable GHGs are water vapour, carbon dioxide, methane, ozone, and nitrous oxide. These gases occur naturally and are a boon for the planet — in their absence, there wouldn’t be the greenhouse effect without which there wouldn’t be liquid water and any form of life
Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:
📍How draft Greenhouse Gases Emissions Intensity Targets aim to help India meet climate goals
Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:
(6) With reference to the Agreement at the UNFCCC Meeting in Paris in 2015, which of the following statements is/are correct? (UPSC CSE 2016)
1. The Agreement was signed by all the member countries of the UN and it will go into effect in 2017.
2. The Agreement aims to limit the greenhouse gas emissions so that the rise in average global temperature by the end of this century does not exceed 2°C or even 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
3. Developed countries acknowledged their historical responsibility in global warming and committed to donate $ 1000 billion a year from 2020 to help developing countries to cope with climate change.
Select the correct answer using the code given below.
(a) 1 and 3 only
(b) 2 only
(c) 2 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:
Discuss global warming and mention its effects on the global climate. Explain the control measures to bring down the level of greenhouse gases which cause global warming, in light of the Kyoto Protocol, 1997. (UPSC CSE 2022)
| PRELIMS ANSWER KEY |
| 1. (d) 2. (d) 3. (a) 4. (d) 5. (a) 6. (b) |
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