Tamil Nadu Challenges Governor’s Referral of University Bill to President

• The Tamil Nadu government has petitioned the Supreme Court, challenging Governor R.N. Ravi’s decision to reserve the Kalaignar University Bill, 2025, for Presidential consideration.

Background

• Kalaignar University Bill, 2025, was passed by TN Legislative Assembly to establish a new state university.
• Instead of assenting, the Governor reserved the Bill for the President’s consideration under Article 200.
• The State government contends that this act violates the constitutional principle of the Governor acting on the aid and advice of the Council of Ministers.

Judicial Context

• The issue comes amid a pending Presidential Reference on the Governor’s discretion under Article 200, where the SC has reserved judgment (September 9, 2025).
• The reference examines whether Governors can delay or deny assent to Bills beyond the advice of the Council of Ministers.
• In April 2025, the SC ruled that Governors and the President must act on Bills within three months.

PM-SETU Scheme

• PM Modi launched the Pradhan Mantri Skilling and Employability Transformation through Upgraded ITIs (PM-SETU) to enhance youth employability.

• PM-SETU is a centrally sponsored scheme aimed at upgrading 1,000 Government Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs) under a hub-and-spoke model for inclusive skill development.
• Objective: It seeks to make Indian youth job-ready by aligning ITI courses with current and emerging industry skill demands.
• Nodal Ministry: The Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE) implements the scheme with support from state governments and industry partners.
• Financing Structure: With a total outlay of ₹60,000 crore, the project is co-financed by the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank.
• Hub-and-Spoke Model: This model includes 200 advanced “hub” ITIs functioning as innovation and placement centres, connected to 800 “spoke” ITIs for broader access.
• Cluster Network: Each hub will connect to an average of four spokes, creating a cluster with advanced infrastructure and incubation facilities.
• A cluster will be managed by a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) with an ‘anchor industry partner’.
• Centres of Excellence: Five National Skill Training Institutes at Bhubaneswar, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kanpur, and Ludhiana are being upgraded to Centres of Excellence.

India Proposes New International Governance Index

• India, as the current President of the International Institute of Administrative Sciences (IIAS), proposed creating a new International Governance Index to address issues in existing global indices.

• The proposed index aims to provide a new, transparent, and inclusive framework by using methodologies from global bodies like the World Bank and OECD to evaluate administrative efficiency.
• A Research Advisory Committee working group will develop the index, and it will be included in the agenda for the IIAS annual conference in 2026.
• Significance: The index can rebalance global governance narratives, bridge the North–South divide, and advance India’s vision of “maximum governance, minimum government.”

Issues with Existing Global Indices

• Opaque Methodology: Indices like the V-Dem rely on expert opinion surveys with undisclosed sampling and weighting methods.
• Western-Centric Criteria: They use uniform liberal-democracy standards, ignoring different Asian and African administrative models.
• Policy Impact: The World Bank’s World Governance Indicators (WGI) rely on perception-based data with limited on-ground validation.

Issues of Marginalised Communities in Neighbouring Regions

• Recent reports highlight protests in PoK (Muzaffarabad) over political grievances met with crackdowns, and violence against indigenous groups in Bangladesh’s Chittagong Hill Tracts.

• India has publicly condemned rights abuses in PoK and rejected allegations of involvement in Bangladesh.

Implications for India

• Humanitarian Concern: Reinforces India’s diplomatic stance, condemning human-rights abuses.
• Security Risk: Prolonged unrest may trigger refugee flows, cross-border tensions or exploitation by militant groups, stressing border states, which can lead to Domestic Fallout.
• Diplomatic Leverage: PoK unrest offers India factual grounds to challenge Pakistan’s claims on Kashmir at bilateral and multilateral fora.
• Strain on Bilateral Ties: India–Bangladesh trade crossed $14 billion in FY2024, making stability crucial for regional connectivity projects like BBIN and BIMSTEC corridors.

Way Forward for India’s Diplomatic Challenges

• Pragmatic Diplomacy: Adopt a pragmatic approach that prioritises India’s strategic interests while promoting democratic values and human rights in the region.
• Information Diplomacy: Support documentation of abuses to counter misinformation. E.g. Establish a Neighbourhood Human Rights Monitoring Cell within MEA to compile verified data
• Regional Cooperation: Strengthen regional mechanisms like SAARC and BIMSTEC to foster greater cooperation and reduce the influence of external powers.
• Security Cooperation: Enhance security ties with neighbouring countries to address border challenges. E.g. India-Bangladesh Coordinated Border Management Plan (CBMP)
• People-to-People Ties: Focus on cultural, educational, and people-to-people exchanges to build long-term goodwill. E.g. BIMSTEC Cultural Festivals foster regional camaraderie.

NITI Aayog Proposes Presumptive Tax Regime

• NITI Aayog has proposed a presumptive taxation scheme for foreign companies to simplify compliance, reduce litigation, and provide tax certainty in India.

Key Highlights of the Proposal

• Introduction of an optional presumptive taxation regime with sector-specific benchmarks.
• Objective: The scheme aims to resolve long-standing tax disputes around Permanent Establishment (PE), offer clarity to foreign investors, and protect India’s revenue interests.

• Suggested attribution:
• 5% of gross receipts for offshore supply in the technology/equipment sector.
• 20% of gross receipts for onshore services.

• Once opted, tax authorities would not litigate the existence of PE for that activity.

Economic Implications Expected

• For investors: Current PE and profit attribution disputes take 6-12 years to resolve, raising compliance costs; a predictable compliance will lower the risk and cost of doing business.
• For India: A Greater ability to attract genuine economic FDI, prevent tax arbitrage, and secure a domestic tax base will eventually improve ease of doing business and financial stability.

PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY)

• The Centre announced 100 Aspirational Agriculture Districts under PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) across 29 States and UTs to improve agricultural productivity and self-reliance.
• PMDDKY is an umbrella initiative overseen by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare.
• Selection Criteria: The 100 districts were identified based on low productivity, moderate crop intensity, and below-average access to agricultural credit.
• Scheme Integration: PMDDKY consolidates 36 central schemes from 11 departments, for streamlined implementation and unified agricultural support delivery.
• Inspiration: It is designed on the lines of NITI Aayog’s Aspirational Districts Programme, emphasising data-driven, inclusive governance.
• Implementation: Each district will form a District Agriculture Development Plan overseen by local committees, with 100 Central Nodal Officers monitoring performance.

Defence Exports Target ₹50,000 Crore by 2029

• India’s defence exports are projected to reach ₹50,000 crore by 2029, up from the current ₹24,000 crore.

Overview of Defence Export Performance

Export Growth

• Exports grew 12.04% in FY 2024-25, compared to FY 2023-24.
• Defence items are now exported to nearly 80 countries, covering arms, ammunition & sub-systems.
• Export authorisations rose 16.9% in 2024-25, with defence exporters increasing by over 17%.
• Defence Public Sector Undertakings (DPSUs) registered a 42.85% rise in exports in 2024-25 compared to the previous year.

Make in India and Self-Reliance

• Indigenous manufacturing drives growth, with 64% of Tejas Light Combat Aircraft parts locally made.
• In FY 2024-25, the Ministry of Defence awarded 92% of contracts to the domestic industry.

Institutional Support

• Liberalised FDI policy allows up to 74% through the automatic route and higher.
• Initiatives like Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX) promote defence innovation, offering grants of up to ₹1.5 crore to MSMEs, startups, and R&D institutions.

Policy reforms

• Simplified industrial licensing by removing parts and components from the licensing regime.
• Extended the validity of licences to 15 years.
• Streamlined SOPs for export authorisation by the digital export authorisation system.

TRAI Recommendations on Digital Radio Broadcast Policy

• The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released recommendations on formulating a Digital Radio Broadcast Policy for private Radio broadcasters.

• Objective: It aims to promote digital radio adoption in India by establishing a regulatory framework for licensing, technology standards, and market transition.

• Digital radio uses digital technology to transmit audio as a stream of data, converting sound waves into numerical patterns instead of analogue electric signals.

Advantages of Digital Radio

• Audio Clarity: Digital encoding reduces signal noise and fading, providing consistent, high-quality sound even in weak signal areas.
• Spectrum Efficiency: A single frequency can support multiple digital stations, enabling more channels without using additional spectrum.
• Data Services: Embedded digital data channels can transmit real-time text, alerts, metadata, and more within the same broadcast signal.
• Simplified Tuning: Digital radios show all available stations by name, replacing manual frequency search with faster, error-free tuning.

Key Recommendations on the Digital Broadcast Policy

Simulcast Mode

• Service Start: New broadcasters must begin their services with a simulcast model, which involves broadcasting in both analogue and digital formats simultaneously.
• Existing FM broadcasters can voluntarily switch to the simulcast mode.
• Channel Capacity: In simulcast mode, each assigned frequency can support one analogue, three digital, and one data channel.
• Sunset Clause: The government will announce a timeline for phasing out analogue broadcasting after evaluating digital adoption and market readiness.

Spectrum and Licensing

• Pilot Rollout: Digital radio will initially launch in 13 cities, including four A+ metros (Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, and Chennai) and nine A-category cities, to assess its urban deployment.
• Frequency Auction: Two new frequencies will be auctioned in each city, with reserve prices set by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
• Migration Rules: Existing operators transitioning to digital mode must complete the migration within six months from the auction date, paying a fee based on auction prices & the remaining license period.
• License Duration: Digital broadcasting licenses will remain valid for 15 years to promote long-term policy stability and strengthen investor confidence.

Infrastructure and Technology

• Unified Standard: TRAI recommended adopting a single digital radio transmission standard for the VHF Band II range to ensure compatibility among all broadcasters and devices.
• Infrastructure Providers: A new authorization framework called ‘Radio Broadcasting Infrastructure Provider‘ will enable companies to build & lease broadcasting infrastructure to radio operators.
• Shared Facilities: Prasar Bharati will share its existing broadcasting infrastructure with private players at concessional rates to support the early rollout of digital radio services.
• Device Integration: Manufacturers will be advised to include digital radio receivers in mobile phones and vehicles to expand listener access.

Business and Market Structure

• Fee Policy: Annual authorisation fees will be 4% of Adjusted Gross Revenue (AGR) in major cities, with reduced rates in smaller markets.
• Ownership Limit: A single entity cannot own more than 40% of frequencies in any city, to ensure competition and content diversity.
• Online Streaming: Broadcasters will be allowed to broadcast their terrestrial radio programmes over internet platforms, with associated revenue included in total Gross Revenue.

Regulatory Oversight

• Monitoring Body: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting will establish a steering committee to monitor the rollout and adoption of digital receivers.
• Updated Codes: New Programme and Advertisement Codes will be created for terrestrial radio to conform to digital content standards.

Li-Fi Internet System

Gujarat-based Nav Wireless Technologies announced the successful deployment of the United States’ first commercial Li-Fi internet system in New York City.

• Li-Fi (Light Fidelity) is a wireless optical communication system that utilizes light waves from Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to transmit data at very high speeds.
• Comparison: Unlike Wi-Fi, which relies on radio waves, Li-Fi transmits data using visible, infrared, and ultraviolet light.
• Mechanism: LEDs flicker at very high speeds, invisible to the human eye, to transmit digital signals as light pulses.
• Data Conversion: A photodiode receiver converts these light pulses into electrical signals. A processor then transforms the signals back into usable data such as text, audio, or video.

Advantages of Li-Fi Internet

• High Speed: Li-Fi offers a much higher data transmission speed, exceeding 100 Gbps, compared to traditional Wi-Fi systems.
• Enhanced Security: Since light signals cannot pass through walls, they are naturally more secure against external snooping.
• Large Bandwidth: The visible light spectrum is 10,000 times broader than the radio spectrum, providing much more bandwidth and helping to reduce network congestion.
• Electromagnetic Safety: Li-Fi does not interfere with sensitive medical or electronic equipment, making it safe to use in hospitals, aircraft, and factories.
• Energy Efficiency: LED lighting can serve a dual role by transmitting data and lighting up spaces. This helps save energy and cut infrastructure costs.

Limitations of Li-Fi Internet

• Line-of-Sight Dependency: The line of sight between the transmitter and receiver must stay clear. Losing sight results in a weaker signal and slower data transfer.
• Limited Range: Since light signals cannot pass through walls, each room requires its own Li-Fi transmitter to provide full coverage.
• Ambient-Light Interference: Bright ambient light, especially sunlight, can disrupt Li-Fi signals and restrict their outdoor use.

Cyclone Shakti

• The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued alerts for Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu due to Cyclone Shakti, forming over the Arabian Sea.

• The name “Shakti” was proposed by Sri Lanka and approved by the WMO panel

Conditions Favourable for Tropical Cyclone Formation

• Large sea surface with temperature higher than 27° C,
• Presence of the Coriolis force is enough to create a cyclonic vortex,
• Small variations in the vertical wind speed,
• A pre-existing weak low-pressure area or low-level cyclonic circulation,
• Upper divergence above the sea level system.

Nobel Prize for 2025 in Medicine or Physiology

• The 2025 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded for the discovery of regulatory T-cells and peripheral immune tolerance, explaining how the body prevents autoimmune reactions.

Peripheral Immune Tolerance

• Prevailing View: Scientists previously believed that the immune system prevented self-damage solely through central tolerance, which occurs in the thymus and bone marrow.
• Peripheral Tolerance: Some self-reactive T cells that escape central tolerance are restrained in peripheral tissues (e.g., lymph nodes, spleen). This stops them from mistakenly attacking healthy tissue.
• Regulatory T-Cells: Sakaguchi discovered a subtype of T-cells called regulatory T-cells that identify and suppress these escaped self-reactive T-cells.
• Foxp3 Gene Role: Brunkow and Ramsdell showed that mutations in the Foxp3 gene disable regulatory T-cells, causing uncontrolled immune activation and loss of self-tolerance.
• Therapeutic Value: Insights into regulatory T-cells can guide new treatments for autoimmune diseases, organ transplants, and cancer immunotherapy.

World Para Athletics Championships 2025

India hosted its first-ever World Para Athletics Championships 2025 in New Delhi.

• The Championship featured participation from over 100 nations, making it the largest para sports event ever organised in India.
• India’s Performance: India achieved its best-ever performance, securing 22 medals (6 gold, 9 silver, 7 bronze) and finishing 10^th overall in the medal tally.
• Significance: The event is part of India’s long-term vision to host major global sporting events, including plans for the 2030 Commonwealth Games and aspirations for the 2036 Olympic Games.