08 Nov 2025 - Daily Current Affairs Updates

UPSC GS – 2

Subtopic: Governance & Skill Development
Value Addition:
- Launch: 2015 under Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
- Implementing Agency: National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC).
- Objective: Provide industry-relevant skill training to youth for employability and livelihood generation.
- Key Features:
  - Short-term training (STT) and Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) for existing skills.
  - Age Limit: 14–35 years.
  - Priority: Unemployed/underemployed youth.
  - Aadhaar-based registration and job placement linkages post-training.
  - Curriculum designed with industry participation to ensure demand alignment.
- Recent Issue: 178 training partners blacklisted for non-compliance and irregularities.
Subject Analysis:
- Critical tool for demographic dividend utilization.
- Highlights governance challenges in monitoring public-private partnerships.
- Relevant for GS2 – Welfare Schemes / Skill Development / Employment Policy.

Subtopic: Judiciary & Fundamental Rights
Value Addition:
- Case: Mihir Rajesh Shah vs. State of Maharashtra (2025).
- Judgment: Failure to provide written grounds of arrest violates Article 21 (Right to Life & Liberty) and Article 22(1) (Right to be informed of grounds of arrest).
- Key Principles:
  - Written communication of grounds mandatory for all offences (including BNS, PMLA, UAPA).
  - In exceptional cases, oral communication allowed temporarily, but written copy must be given within 2 hours before remand.
  - Communication must be in a language the accused understands.
- Constitutional Basis:
  - Article 21: Ensures due process and fairness.
  - Article 22(1): Safeguard against arbitrary detention.
Subject Analysis:
- Strengthens procedural fairness and personal liberty.
- Reinforces constitutional supremacy over executive discretion.
- Relevant for GS2 – Polity / Judiciary / Fundamental Rights.

Subtopic: International Relations & Middle East Peace Process
Value Addition:
- Initiated: 2020; facilitated by United States.
- Founding Members: Israel, UAE, Bahrain, Morocco.
- New Entrant: Kazakhstan (2025).
- Aim: Normalize diplomatic, trade, and security relations between Israel and Arab nations.
- Symbolism: Named after Abraham, patriarch common to Judaism and Islam — signifies shared heritage and coexistence.
Subject Analysis:
- Expands geopolitical influence of the Accords beyond the Middle East.
- Promotes regional stability, economic interdependence, and counterterrorism collaboration.
- Relevant for GS2 – IR / Peace Initiatives / West Asia Diplomacy.

Subtopic: Global Governance & Social Justice
Value Addition:
- Venue: Doha, Qatar (2025).
- Organised by: United Nations Department of Economic & Social Affairs (UNDESA).
- Theme: Eradication of poverty, full employment, and social inclusion.
- Historical Background: First summit held at Copenhagen (1995); reaffirmed Copenhagen Declaration’s Ten Commitments.
- Focus:
  - Aligns with SDG Summit 2023, Pact for the Future (2024), and FfD4 (2025).
  - Strengthen collective efforts for equality, inclusion, and sustainable development.
Subject Analysis:
- Reinforces global social policy cooperation and SDG alignment.
- Highlights India’s advocacy for social protection, employment, and equity.
- Relevant for GS2 – IR / Social Development / UN Bodies.

Subtopic: Environment & Biodiversity Conservation
Value Addition:
- Conducted by Wildlife Institute of India (WII) – first nationwide vulture census.
- Species Covered:
  - White-rumped (Gyps bengalensis)
  - Indian (Gyps indicus)
  - Slender-billed (Gyps tenuirostris)
  - Red-headed (Sarcogyps calvus)
- Findings:
  - 216 sites across 17 states surveyed.
  - 70% of historical nesting sites lost.
  - 54% nests in Protected Areas, confirming their conservation value.
  - State-wise concentration:
    - Madhya Pradesh & Rajasthan – Indian vulture.
    - Himachal Pradesh – White-rumped vulture.
    - Upper Assam – Slender-billed vulture.
- Major Threats: Diclofenac poisoning, habitat loss, food scarcity.
Subject Analysis:
- Demonstrates need for landscape-level conservation & ban enforcement.
- Vital for GS3 – Environment / Biodiversity / Wildlife Conservation.

Subtopic: Economic Governance & Financial Law
Value Addition:
- Issued by Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India (IBBI).
- Purpose: Clarify jurisdictional overlaps between IBC (2016) and PMLA (2002).
- Key Provisions:
  - Insolvency professionals can now approach PMLA courts directly to unfreeze attached assets.
  - Removes dependency on NCLT for ED-attached properties.
  - Resolves conflict between Section 238 (IBC) and Section 71 (PMLA) – both have overriding powers.
- Objective: Ensure faster insolvency resolution without hindering money-laundering investigations.
Subject Analysis:
- Balances creditor interests with anti-corruption mechanisms.
- Promotes legal coherence and economic efficiency.
- Relevant for GS3 – Economy / Governance / Financial Regulation.

Subtopic: Climate Change & Global Emission Trends
Value Addition:
- Published annually by UNEP & UNEP-CCC before COP sessions.
- Findings:
  - Global temperature on track to rise 2.3–2.5°C by 2100.
  - Global emissions at 57.7 GtCO₂e (2024), up 2.3%.
  - Only 60 countries (63% global emissions) have updated 2035 NDCs.
  - Need 55% emission cuts by 2035 to stay within 1.5°C goal.
- Core Message: Current commitments insufficient to meet Paris targets.
Subject Analysis:
- Exposes implementation gap between pledges and action.
- Strengthens case for climate finance & technology transfer.