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UPSC Daily News Summaries: Essential Current Affairs, Key Issues and Important Updates for Civil Services
Follow the day’s important shifts through crisp, thoughtfully crafted summaries.
Daily News Capsules
1. US deported 3.2k Indians this year, most in 16 yrs: Govt
The US has deported 3,258 Indian nationals so far this year, the highest number in the past 16 years, with the total number of people deported since 2009 touching 18,822, according to figures provided by the government in Rajya Sabha on Thursday. The government has engaged US authorities to ensure that people being deported are not ill-treated and that women and children on deportation flights are not restrained with handcuffs and chains, external affairs minister S Jaishankar said while responding to questions from MPs. A protest was lodged with the US after 73-year-old Harjit Kaur was maltreated before her deportation in September, he said. Indian authorities have taken action against illegal recruitment agencies and travel agents involved in human trafficking, and the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has investigated 27 human trafficking cases and arrested 169 people, Jaishankar said. US deports individuals who illegally entered the country, overstayed their visa, were found in the US without documentation, or have criminal convictions against them, he said. The Indian government works closely with US authorities on deportation, which is agreed to after “unambiguous verification” of the Indian nationality of those being deported.
Possible Question
What factors are driving the recent spike in deportations of Indian nationals from the US, and how should India strengthen its institutional response to human trafficking, illegal migration networks, and protection of deportees’ rights during repatriation?
2. SC directs states to deploy more staff, substitutes for SIR exercise
The Supreme Court on Thursday underscored that state governments cannot distance themselves from their statutory obligation to provide adequate manpower for electoral work, making it clear that they are duty-bound to ensure the availability of booth level officers (BLOs) for the Election Commission of India (ECI) during the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. If existing employees are overburdened or face genuine hardship, states must be ready with substitutes, the court ordered. A bench of Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and justice Joymalya Bagchi said that employees deputed for SIR are required to perform statutory duties and that states cannot withdraw personnel without providing replacements. The bench delivered the directions while hearing a plea by Tamilaga Vetri Kazhagam (TVK), highlighting the reported pressure experienced by some BLOs, including suicides by some officers, allegedly due to the heavy workload and coercive action initiated by ECI under the Representation of the People Act. The Supreme Court on Thursday told ECI to provide the final revised electoral roll of Bihar after the petitioners challenging the SIR in the state raised concerns over irregularities by way of duplicate names still figuring in the revised rolls.
Possible Question
How does the Supreme Court’s directive on ensuring adequate Booth Level Officers during electoral roll revision strengthen the integrity of India’s electoral process? Discuss the tension between state administrative constraints and the constitutional mandate of free and fair elections.
3. Ex-DU prof gets bail in Bhima Koregaon case
The Bombay high court on Thursday granted bail to former Delhi University professor Hany Babu Musaliyarveettil Tharayil in the 2018 Elgar Parishad case, citing his prolonged pre-trial incarceration of five years and seven months. Babu will be released after depositing bail bond in the lieu of ₹1 lakh along with sureties. Babu, a former associate professor in the department of English of Delhi University, was arrested on April 14, 2020, and had remained in custody since on charges of being a member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and involvement in an alleged conspiracy linked to the Elgar Parishad-Bhima Koregaon event on December 31, 2017. In February 2022, a trial court in Maharashtra rejected Babu’s plea seeking bail. The Bombay high court upheld the order in September 2022. In June 2024, Babu moved the high court challenging orders, arguing that he had been detained for an unconstitutionally long period without trial. Babu’s counsel Yug Mohit Chaudhary argued that he has no prior criminal record, and that his discharge plea has remained pending for over three years without a response from the prosecution. Opposing the plea, additional solicitor general Anil C Singh and advocate Chintan Shah contended that the length of custody alone should not justify bail. They argued that Babu had “not yet undergone 50% of the sentence” applicable if convicted, and that parity could not be claimed since other co-accused granted bail had spent over six years in jail. However, the division bench of justices AS Gadkari and Ranjitsinha R Bhonsale disagreed. Noting that co-accused Sudhir Dhawale and Rona Wilson had been granted bail on the ground of prolonged pre-trial detention, the court held that Babu was similarly entitled to parity. It also recorded that more than nine accused in the case have been released on bail. Relying on the Supreme Court’s judgment in Legal Aid Committee (Representing Undertrial Prisoners) vs Union of India, the bench observed that undertrials cannot be kept in custody indefinitely. Once it becomes evident that a timely trial is impossible and the accused has already spent a significant period in jail, “courts are ordinarily obligated to enlarge them on bail”, it said.
Possible Question
Prolonged pre-trial detention has emerged as a major concern in India’s criminal justice system. Using the Bhima Koregaon bail ruling as a case study, examine how courts balance national security considerations with constitutional protections under Articles 21 and 22.
4. Pan masala cess revenue to be shared with states: FM
In a unique move of cooperative federalism, Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Thursday told the Lok Sabha that the revenue from the proposed capacity-based cess on pan masala will be shared with states to be used in “health-related” activities. While introducing the bill in the House, the minister explained the reason for bringing two separate legislations for demerit goods — the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025 on tobacco and its products, and the Health Security se National Security Cess Bill, 2025 on pan masala. She said a new cess has been proposed as excise could not be levied on pan masala on the basis of capacity. Speaking about the cess, she said in Hindi: “Aur States ke sath bhi, scheme ke dwara, hum share bhi kar rahe hain. Ye hai is kanoon ka ek unique point. (And, we are also sharing it with states through [a] scheme. This is one of the unique points of this legislation).” As per the Constitution, a cess is imposed for a specific purpose and its revenue is not shared with states as it is not considered part of the divisible pool of taxes. On Thursday, while the bill related to the cess was moved in the Lower House, the other bill that sought to levy central excise on tobacco and tobacco products, was considered by the Rajya Sabha. After the debate on the excise bill, it was returned to the Lok Sabha, thus completing the Parliamentary process to enact the legislation. The Lok Sabha had passed the excise bill on Wednesday after an intense debate. Replying to a discussion on the bill on tobacco and tobacco products in the Rajya Sabha, Sitharaman said,“This is an excise duty, not a cess. This excise duty will join the taxable pool and will be devolved to the states as per the recommendations of the Finance Commission.”
Possible Question
The Centre’s decision to share cess revenue from pan masala with states departs from previous fiscal practice. Analyse its implications for cooperative federalism, constitutional tax architecture, and the use of fiscal instruments to advance public health goals.
5. US unveils ‘New G20’for the 2026 summit, excludes South Africa
The United States on Thursday announced plans for what it calls a “New G20” as it prepares to host the 2026 G20 Leaders’ Summit. It welcomed Poland as a new member while explicitly excluding South Africa, which US Secretary of State Marco Rubio accused of prioritising “spite, division, and radical agendas” during its current presidency. In a blog post authored by Rubio, titled ‘America Welcomes a New G20’, the Secretary of State stated that the US hosting the G20 Leaders’ Summit, set for December 2026 in Miami, Florida, will also mark America’s 250th anniversary. The US will host the G20 summit for the first time since 2009. According to Rubio, the “New G20” will focus on three core themes — removing regulatory burdens, unlocking affordable and secure energy supply chains, and pioneering technologies like Artificial Intelligence--through four working groups. The first Sherpa and Finance Track meetings are slated for December 15 and 16 in Washington, with subsequent gatherings throughout the year. Highlighting inclusivity, the US will invite “friends, neighbours, and partners”, including Poland, which Rubio praised as a success story of post Cold War resilience. The starkest departure is the exclusion of South Africa, the current G20 host, which Rubio lambasted for squandering its post-apartheid potential through “redistributionist policies that discouraged investment” and “racial quotas” that have crippled the economy.
Possible Question
The US proposal for a ‘New G20’ reflects shifting geopolitical alignments and competing models of global governance. Discuss how such informal restructuring initiatives affect the legitimacy, inclusiveness, and strategic relevance of existing multilateral forums like the G20.
Editorial Snapshots
A. Cost of failing the passengers
When an airline cancels close to 600 flights in three days, mostly because of its inability to meet new crew-rostering norms, and it then emerges that this comes on the back of 755 flights cancelled for the same reason in November, it is clear that something has gone horribly wrong — as it seems to have at IndiGo. The new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms, long overdue, are in keeping with globally accepted standards, and, most importantly, were expected to kick in originally on June 1, 2024. After multiple deferments — at the request of airlines — they eventually went into effect from November 1. The numbers best tell the story of how India’s largest domestic airline has adapted to the new norms. Poorly. The reason for this is not hard to pinpoint: IndiGo’s famed cost optimisation. A pilots’ body claimed as much in a letter to the aviation regulator, DGCA, amid the latest crisis, saying that “despite the two year preparatory window before full FDTL implementation, the airline inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze, entered non-poaching arrangements, maintained a pilot pay freeze through cartel-like behaviour, and demonstrated other short-sighted planning practices”. The price for all this is being paid by passengers. Pilots have also alleged the airline may be deliberately going slow in addressing the problem in the hope that the civil aviation ministry or the regulator will step in and relax the rostering norms. IndiGo has denied this, although this is just what it sought (a relaxation of rostering norms till February 10) in a meeting with DGCA on Thursday, according to a statement from the regulator. It has also accepted that poor planning was responsible for the crisis. DGCA has not said whether it will give in to the airline’s demands, but given that its larger objective has always been to minimise disruptions, it likely will. That would be a pity, as the regulator should have taken the airline to task for its 755 FDTL-linked cancellations in November. Even as it reviews the airline’s schedule ahead of the holiday season, and audits its staffing (as it has indicated it will), DGCA should also ensure adequate recompense for passengers and penalise the airline for its behaviour.
Possible Question
IndiGo’s large-scale cancellations highlight the risks of cost-driven rostering strategies and inadequate compliance with safety norms. In the context of India’s expanding civil aviation sector, discuss how regulators can enforce safety standards without compromising operational continuity.
B. Reforming urban land registration
Peruvian economist Hernando de Soto once argued that farmers in the Indian hinterland rarely have documentation for their landholdings, a constraint that prevents them from using these as collateral for credit, or investments. But why restrict it to farmers in rural India — few people in urban India have property titles; what they have is proof of ownership (usually shown through property tax receipts) or acquisition (a registration of a transaction overseen by a government revenue official). And what papers there are — sale deeds, inheritance or registration documents, entries in the Record of Rights — come in handwritten or drawn formats, often in tatters, leading to disputes. Of an estimated 11 million pending civil cases in India, roughly two-third concern land disputes. It is against this backdrop that the push for an overhaul of the urban property registration system becomes significant. In a follow-up to the NAKSHA programme, first mooted in the last Union budget, the Centre has now asked the states to opt for GIS-based property registration. Accordingly, precise latitude-longitude coordinates will replace the hand-drawn sketches and maps that mark the location and contours of property. This reform is important for multiple reasons, although it needs to be recognised that in isolation, it will not completely solve all the ills that plague property transactions. One, GIS can help weed out errors in documents and bring transparency to the registration process and property ownership. Two, ease of doing business will improve when registration becomes a transparent process. Property transaction is a torturous process in India because of gaps that allow rent-seeking by intermediaries, especially public officials. Three, fewer property disputes will help unclog the legal system. The right to property is a Constitutional right, but it becomes exercisable only if the ease of possession and transaction is improved.
Possible Question
GIS-based property registration is expected to reduce disputes and improve transparency, but land governance challenges in India are deeply structural. Critically evaluate whether digitisation alone can address issues of title uncertainty, rent seeking, and judicial delays in urban land markets.
Fact of the day
‘177K died in road crashes in 2024’: Road crash fatalities rose to 177,177 in 2024, the Union government told Parliament on Thursday, a number that makes it the worst year in terms of road accidents. Fatalities increased 2.5% from 172,890 in 2023; roughly 485 people died every day across India in road accidents in 2024. S Velmurugan, chief scientist and head of the traffic engineering and safety division at the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), said India’s road crash deaths data corresponds to a trend seen in the global north in previous decades. “The latest rise in road fatalities is not surprising because India has still not reached the saturation point that many developed countries hit in the late 1990s, where numbers plateaued and then steadily dipped. In contrast, India continues to see a boom in vehicle ownership and rapid highway construction, but the safety standards meant to accompany this growth are not being implemented fully on the ground,” he added. He said speeding and faulty road engineering primarily contribute to India’s crash burden, making enforcement the most decisive intervention. He said on many occasions highways cutting through a settlement fail to provide basic pedestrian facilities that become a direct trigger for crashes. The road crash death toll for 2024 was shared by union road transport minister Nitin Gadkari while replying to a question by DMK MP A Raja . As part of his reply, Gadkari said the Stockholm Declaration on Road Safety, adopted at the third Global Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in February 2020, had set a new global target to reduce road traffic deaths and injuries by 50% by 2030 ; India is a signatory. He also said India’s fatality rate per lakh population is 11.89 compared with China’s 4.3 and 12.76 in the US, according to World Road Statistics, 2024.
