CURRENT AFFAIRS 06 September, 2025

CURRENT AFFAIRS 06 September, 2025

1. FIRST TFR DIP IN 2 YEARS –

• The Sample Registration Survey (SRS) Statistical Report 2023, released by the Office of the Registrar General of India, reveals a notable decline in India’s birth rate and fertility trends.
• 

Key Findings of the SRS 2023

• Demographic Implications: For the first time in two years, the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) has dropped, raising significant demographic and policy implications.
• Crude Birth Rate (CBR): Declined from 19.1 (2022) to 18.4 (2023) per 1,000 population.
• Highest CBR: Bihar (25.8).
• Lowest CBR: Tamil Nadu (12).
• Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Fell to 1.9 in 2023, down from 2.0 in 2021 and 2022.
• Highest TFR: Bihar (2.8), followed by Uttar Pradesh (2.6), Madhya Pradesh (2.4), Rajasthan (2.3), and Chhattisgarh (2.2).
• Lowest TFR: Delhi (1.2), West Bengal (1.3), Tamil Nadu (1.3), Maharashtra (1.4).
• Crude Death Rate (CDR): Reduced from 6.8 (2022) to 6.4 (2023).
• Highest CDR: Odisha (8.3).
• Lowest CDR: Delhi (4.1).
• Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): National IMR stands at 25 per 1,000 live births, a one-point decline from 2022 and a 7-point fall over the last five years.
• Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB): Stood at 917 females per 1,000 males in 2023, improving by three points over the previous year.
• SRB: Highest in Chhattisgarh (974) and Kerala (971); lowest in Uttarakhand (868). Bihar’s SRB declined from 964 (2020) to 897 (2023).
• Ageing Population: Elderly proportion rose to 9.7% in 2023, up by 0.7 percentage points in one year.
• Elderly Population Share: Highest in Kerala (15%), lowest in Assam, Delhi, and Jharkhand (~7.6–7.7%).

2. PEACE PACT SIGNED WITH KUKI-ZO GROUPS IN MANIPUR –

• Recently, the Centre and Manipur government signed a revised Suspension of Operations (SoO) pact with Kuki-Zo insurgent groups, ahead of the Prime Minister’s first post-violence visit on September 13.

Key Provisions of the Revised SoO Agreement

• Verification of Cadres: Security forces will verify insurgent cadres and de-list foreign nationals. Those identified will be deported.
• Territorial Integrity: The pact reiterates the territorial integrity of Manipur, ruling out territorial bifurcation.
• Political Settlement Clause: Introduces a new phrase – “negotiated political settlement within the Constitution of India”. This goes beyond the 2008 pact, which only spoke of territorial councils.
• Relocation of Camps: Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF) agreed to relocate 7 designated camps, move them away from conflict-prone areas, and keep weapons in nearby CRPF/BSF camps.
• Monitoring Mechanism: A Joint Monitoring Group will enforce compliance, with provisions for strict action on violations, including review of the SoO.
• Highway Opening: The Kuki-Zo Council (KZC) agreed to open National Highway-2 (Imphal–Dimapur), a lifeline for the Meitei-dominated valley, for free movement of commuters and essential goods.

3. ISRO’S KULASEKARAPATTINAM SPACEPORT TO BE READY BY DEC 2026 –

• In a significant development for India’s space ambitions, ISRO announced that the Kulasekarapattinam launch complex in Tamil Nadu’s Tuticorin district is expected to be fully operational by December 2026. The upcoming facility will become India’s second spaceport, complementing the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota, and will be dedicated primarily to launching Small Satellite Launch Vehicles (SSLVs).

About the Kulasekarapattinam Launch Complex

• Location: Coastal village of Kulasekarapattinam in Tuticorin district, Tamil Nadu
• Area: Spread across 2,300 acres
• Expected Completion: December 2026
• Foundation Stone: Laid in February 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi via video conferencing
• Target: Around 20–25 SSLV launches per year once operational
• This facility will allow India to decentralize its space operations, easing the pressure on Sriharikota and increasing its overall launch frequency.

4. NEPAL BANS 26 UNREGISTERED SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS –

• In a landmark digital policy move, the Government of Nepal has banned 26 unregistered social media platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, YouTube, and X (formerly Twitter). The decision, announced by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Prithvi Subba Gurung on September 4, 2025, is aimed at enforcing digital accountability and ensuring regulatory compliance under Nepal’s Directive for Regulation of Social Media Use, 2080.

The Ban: A Regulatory Enforcement Measure

• The decision was finalized after a high-level meeting involving,
• Officials from the Ministry of Communications and IT (MoCIT)
• Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA)
• Representatives of telecom operators and internet service providers
• Following a seven-day ultimatum issued on August 28, all domestic and international social media platforms were directed to register with the Ministry, establish a local office, and appoint a designated contact person in Nepal.
• Since many platforms failed to comply, the government instructed the NTA to disable access to these sites, including,

1. Facebook
2. WhatsApp
3. Instagram
4. YouTube
5. X (Twitter)
6. Viber
7. Botim

5. INDIA’S FIRST VULTURE KNOWLEDGE PORTAL LAUNCHED IN ASSAM –

• In a landmark initiative for wildlife conservation, India’s first online vulture knowledge portal was launched on September 2, 2025, in Assam, coinciding with International Vulture Awareness Day. Developed by students and researchers of Assam, the platform is designed as a knowledge hub and outreach tool to provide scientific resources, raise awareness, and engage both experts and local communities in vulture conservation efforts.

The Vulture Portal: A First-of-Its-Kind Resource

• The portal, titled The Vulture Network, is a cloud-based platform offering,
• Scientific data on vulture species and conservation status
• Freely downloadable campaign materials for awareness drives
• Tools to support citizen science initiatives
• Resources tailored for students, researchers, and conservationists
• The project is supported by We Foundation India, in collaboration with Gauhati University’s Department of Zoology, along with the Assam Bird Monitoring Network, LASA Foundation, Surksha Samitee, and contributions from individual conservationists.

MCQ QUIZ

Q1.   What is the name of the biggest anti-Naxal operation conducted on Karregutta hill along the Chhattisgarh-Telangana border ?

1. a) Operation Green Hunt
2. b) Operation Prahar
3. c) Operation Black Forest
4. d) Operation Thunder

Q2.   The Badminton World Federation (BWF) has announced that the 2026 Badminton World Championships will be hosted by which city ?

1. a) Hyderabad
2. b) New Delhi
3. c) Nanjing
4. d) Paris

Q3.   Who has been appointed as the new Chairman of the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI) ?

1. a) Debasish Panda
2. b) T.V. Somanathan
3. c) Rajiv Mehrishi
4. d) Ajay Seth

Q4.   Consider the following statements regarding the GST Council:

          Statement I: The GST Council is a constitutional body established under Article 279A of the Constitution of India.

          Statement II: The Union Finance Minister is the Chairperson of the GST Council, and it has representation from all states and Union Territories.

          Statement III: Decisions in the GST Council are taken by a simple majority, with the Union Government having a higher vote weightage.

          Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements ?

1. a) Both Statement II and Statement III are correct and both of them explain Statement I
2. b) Both Statement II and Statement III are correct but only one of them explains Statement I
3. c) Only one of the Statements II and III is correct and that explains Statement I
4. d) Neither Statement II nor Statement III is correct

Explanation-

• The GST Council is the key decision-making body for Goods and Services Tax in India. Its structure and functioning are critical to the federal fiscal architecture.
• Statement I is correct. The GST Council was established through the 101st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2016, which inserted Article 279A into the Constitution. This gives the Council a constitutional status, making it a powerful body in the Indian federal system.
• Statement II is correct. The Union Finance Minister is the ex-officio Chairperson of the GST Council. The Council also includes the Union Minister of State for Finance/Revenue and the Finance/Taxation Ministers of all the States and Union Territories with legislatures.
• Statement III is incorrect. Decisions in the GST Council are not taken by a simple majority. They require a three-fourths majority of the weighted votes of the members present and voting. The Union Government has a weightage of one-third of the total votes cast, and all the State Governments combined have a weightage of two-thirds. This ensures that decisions are taken with a broad consensus between the Centre and the States.

Q5.   The Kartarpur Corridor, recently in the news due to flooding, connects Dera Baba Nanak in India to which of the following Gurudwaras in Pakistan ?

1. a) Gurdwara Panja Sahib
2. b) Gurdwara Darbar Sahib
3. c) Gurdwara Nankana Sahib
4. d) Gurdwara Dera Sahib

Explanation-

• The Kartarpur Corridor is a visa-free border crossing that connects the Dera Baba Nanak shrine in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, India, with the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur, located in the Narowal district of Punjab, Pakistan. The corridor allows Sikh pilgrims from India to visit the Gurdwara in Kartarpur, which is one of the holiest sites in Sikhism.
• The Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartarpur holds immense religious significance as it is built on the site where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak Dev, spent the last 18 years of his life. The recent flooding of the Ravi River, which submerged the corridor complex, highlighted the vulnerability of this important cross-border pilgrimage route to natural calamities.

Answer Key