Current Affairs – September 05, 2025

{GS2 – Governance – Initiatives} Internet Users in India *

• Context (LM): India’s internet subscribers crossed 100 crores, according to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) report for March–June 2025 released by the Ministry of Communications.

Key Highlights of TRAI Report

• Expanding Penetration: Subscribers increased by 3.48%, rising from 96.91 crore to 100.28 crore.
• Broadband Dominance: Broadband users reached 97.97 crore; wireless users 95.81 crore, demonstrating BharatNet’s success.
• Narrowing Digital Divide: Urban users stood at 57.94 crore, while rural subscribers totalled 42.33 crore.
• Digital Reliance: Monthly data use was 24.01 GB, with a 0.52% growth in mobile users, reflecting the success of the Digital India mission.

Read More > BharatNet Driving Digital Inclusion

{GS2 – IR – India-EU} India–EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement

• Context (TH): India and the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) signed the Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, effective October 1, 2025.

• The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) consists of Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, & Switzerland.

Key Features

• Investment Commitment: EFTA to invest $100 billion in India over 15 years, creating 1 million jobs.
• Sustainable Clause: First FTA with binding labour, environment, and human rights provisions.
• Legal Certainty: The pact enhances predictability in bilateral economic exchanges and aligns with international obligations.

{GS2 – Social Sector – Education} NIRF Rankings 2025

• Context (IE): The Ministry of Education released the 10^th edition of the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) 2025, adding a new SDG-based sustainability category.

Category-Wise Institutional Ranking

• Overall: IIT Madras maintained top position for the seventh consecutive year; IIT Delhi ranked second.
• Engineering: IITs dominate engineering rankings, with IIT Madras in the top position.
• Management: IIM Ahmedabad remained first in management, with IIMB ranked second.
• University: IISc Bengaluru ranked first among universities for the tenth year.
• Colleges: Hindu College, Delhi, was ranked first in the college category for the second consecutive year.
• Medical: AIIMS Delhi continued to be first in the medical category.

{GS3 – IE – Industry} Gig Economy in India **

• Context (TH): The gig economy powers India’s digital marketplace with flexibility but leaves workers exposed to algorithmic control and weak labour rights.

Growth Trajectory

• NITI Aayog (2022) projects gig workforce to grow from 7.7 million (2020-21) to 23.5 million (2029-30).
• India’s digital economy is set to reach $1 trillion in five years, driven by rising online consumerism.
• COVID-19 accelerated AI-driven platform jobs, with gig work suiting the youth’s demand for autonomy, diverse income streams, and work-life balance.

Structural Challenges

• Precarious Livelihoods: Surveys of gig workers show long hours, low wages, stress, and little social protection.
• Algorithmic Management: Workers’ autonomy is constrained by opaque rules of digital platforms.
• Legal Safeguards: Absence of strong labour codes to cover gig workers leaves them vulnerable.
• Social Erosion: Growing consumerism is eroding human connections, leaving gig workers “faceless” in urban landscapes.

Way Forward

• Social Security: Need for contributory schemes, insurance, health coverage, and pension for gig workers.
• Framework: Establish tripartite frameworks involving the state, platforms, and workers to define fair working conditions.
• Policy Alignment: Develop a data-driven national policy for platform work aligned with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

Read More > Changing Employment Sector in India

{GS3 – Envi – Laws} Environment Audit Rules 2025 *

• Context (PIB): The Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) introduced the Environment Audit Rules 2025 to address compliance gaps and enhance trust-based governance.

Objectives

• Strengthening Compliance: To ensure independent third-party verification for transparency, accountability and Ease of Doing Business.
• Framework Integration: To align with emerging instruments like the Green Credit Program, Eco-mark Certification, and Extended Producer Responsibility.
• Regulatory Capacity: To develop a pool of certified professionals for enforcement in high-risk areas.
• Data-Driven Oversight: To create digital records for disclosure, decision-making, and early corrections.

Key Features

• Certification: The rules establish the Environment Audit Designated Agency for certification and registration of Environmental Auditors based on qualifications, experience, or a national examination.
• Auditing: Only Registered Environmental Auditors (REAs), who are randomly assigned projects for independence, can conduct audits, check compliance, and verify Green Credit obligations.
• Oversight: A new MoEFCC Steering Committee oversees implementation and addresses challenges.
• Regulators: CPCB, SPCBs, and MoEFCC regional offices continue inspections and monitoring support.

{GS3 – Envi – Species} Northern Migration of India’s Big Four Snakes *

• Context (DTE): A recent study titled “Future of Snakebite Risk in India” projects climate-driven shifts in the ranges of India’s Big Four snakes.

About India’s Big Four Snakes

• Key Species: Common Krait, Russell’s Viper, Saw-scaled Viper, and Spectacled Cobra.
• Snakebite Share: Known as “Big Four,” causing nearly ninety percent of Indian snakebites.
• Fatality Risk: Most fatalities result from inadequate antivenom availability against these snakes.

From Left to Right: Common Krait, Russel’s Viper, Saw-Scaled Viper, Spectacled Cobra

Credit: Wikipedia

Common Krait (Bungarus caeruleus)

• Feature: Slender nocturnal snake with neurotoxic venom causing respiratory paralysis.
• Habitat: Found in grasslands, crop fields, scrublands, and village peripheries.
• Range: Widespread across Indian plains and river valleys, absent in the Himalayas.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern; WPA: Schedule IV

Russell’s Viper (Daboia russelii)

• Feature: Heavy-bodied viper with hemotoxic venom causing coagulopathy and kidney failure.
• Habitat: Occupies farmlands, scrub jungles, grasslands, and sugarcane or paddy belts.
• Range: Distributed across the Indian lowlands, excluding dense forests and high altitudes.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern; WPA: Schedule II (Part II)

Saw-scaled Viper (Echis carinatus)

• Feature: Small, aggressive viper producing a warning “sizzling” sound by scale friction.
• Habitat: Inhabits deserts, rocky plains, dry scrub, and thorn forest landscapes.
• Range: Concentrated in arid western India, the Deccan plateau, and semi-arid regions.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern; WPA: Schedule IV

Spectacled Cobra (Naja naja)

• Feature: Distinctive hooded snake with spectacle mark, symbolically revered in Indian culture.
• Habitat: Found in forests, wetlands, agricultural fields, and peri-urban settlements.
• Range: Widely present across Indian plains, scarce in the high Himalayas and deserts.
• Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern; WPA: Schedule II (Part II); CITES: Appendix II

Findings of the Study

• Range Change: Southern habitats of the Big Four snakes decline as ranges shift northward.
• State Gains: Suitable habitats are projected to expand across Haryana, Rajasthan, and Assam.
• Northeast Surge: Northeastern states project over a hundred per cent increase in habitat suitability.

Reasons for Shift

• Rising Temperatures: Global warming drives habitat shifts towards cooler northern latitudes.
• Rainfall Variability: Altered monsoon patterns reduce habitat stability in southern regions.
• Land-Use Change: Agriculture and urbanisation fragment and transform existing ecological niches.

Read More > Snakebite Envenoming in India

{GS3 – IS – Initiatives} India’s Theatre Command Plan **

• Context (IE): India is creating integrated theatre commands to unify Army, Navy, and Air Force control in specific regions under one command, led by the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

• Reform aims for joint operational efficiency and is the largest military overhaul since Independence.

Rationale for Theatre Commands

• Prepares forces for multi-domain warfare, including cyber, space, UAVs, and precision-strike systems.
• Avoids duplication of resources and ensures faster decision-making during conflicts.
• Enhances jointness in planning, procurement, training, and operations.

Key Challenges

• IAF Concerns: The Air Force has flagged concerns over division of limited assets, doctrinal compromises, and increased decision-making complexity.
• Resource Allocation: The Army dominates budgets, which concerns the IAF and Navy, as they fear dilution of operational effectiveness.
• Doctrinal Concerns: Risk of over-centralisation, longer decision chains, or ignoring unique operational doctrines of services.
• Comparative Caution: Blind replication of foreign models may not suit India’s unique security environment.

Way Forward

• Phased Implementation: Adopt phased implementation with pilot theatre commands to test structures before full rollout.
• Doctrinal Harmony: Theatreisation must respect the independent roles of each service
• Civil-Military Dialogue: Institutionalise civil-military consensus through continuous dialogue between CDS, service chiefs, and the government.

Read More > Defence Modernisation in India

{GS3 – S&T – AI} Bridging Skill–Industry Mismatch

• Context (TH): Artificial Intelligence is driving structural transformation, replacing traditional jobs, necessitating urgent skilling for inclusive adaptation.

Disruption Dynamics of AI

• Structural Churn: Automation redistributes labour, exemplified by lights-out factories in China.
• Dual Impact: WEF forecasts 92 million job losses and 170 million new jobs, needing new skills.
• Vulnerable Occupations: Repetitive roles, along with white-collar jobs like teachers and doctors, face automation risks that could shorten work weeks within the next 20 years.

Imperative of Skilling

• Demographic Dividend: With 65% under 35, India’s advantage fades without industry-specific skilling.
• Future Skills: Adaptability, empathy, and emotional intelligence sustain employability.
• Skill–Industry Gap: One-third of CEOs prioritise skills over experience, while graduates use short courses and apprenticeships to address employment mismatches.

Way Forward

• Digital Skilling: Skill India Digital, Meta VR centres, and AI assistant expand accessible training.
• Partnership Models: Align PMKVY with NEP 2020 using CSR investments for inclusive apprenticeships.
• Applied Learning: Use AI modules to train trainees, easing role transitions in retail and BFSI sectors.
• Future Readiness: Through entrepreneurship, ethics education, and India’s 1M1B AI Youth Lab.

Read More > AI and the Indian Workforce

{Prelims – PIN World – Africa} Darfur Region

• Context (TH): A devastating landslide nearly erased Tarasin village in Sudan’s Darfur region.

• Location: Darfur spans western Sudan and borders Chad, Libya, and the Central African Republic (CAR).
• Highest Mountain Range: The volcanic massif, Jebel Marra, also known as the Marrah Mountains.
• Conflict Zone: Darfur experiences ongoing ethnic violence between Arab and African communities.

Credit: ISS

{Prelims – In News} BHARATI Initiative

• Context (PIB): APEDA launched BHARATI (Bharat’s Hub for Agritech, Resilience, Advancement and Incubation for Export Enablement) initiative to achieve $50 billion agri-food exports by 2030.

• Nodal Agency: It is being implemented by APEDA under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Startup Cohort: It will train 100 agri-food startups on product development, compliance, & exports.
• Focus Areas: GI-tagged and AYUSH-linked exports with AI quality checks and IoT cold storage.

Read More > Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Authority (APEDA)

{Prelims – In News} Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

• Context (PIB): The birth anniversary of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan is commemorated as Teachers’ Day on 5 September to honour educators.

• He was India’s first Vice President (1952–62) and later served as the second President (1962–67).
• His lifelong contributions earned him a knighthood in 1931 and the Bharat Ratna in 1954.