Daily Current Affairs for UPSC IAS: 3rd October 2025

Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao : Completed a Decade

The Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) scheme has completed a decade, showing measurable progress in improving the sex ratio at birth and girls’ education outcomes across India.

• Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (BBBP) is To prevent female foeticide and promote education of the girl child through a multi-ministerial effort (WCD, Health, HRD).

Impact:

• Sex ratio at birth improved from 919 (2015–16) to 929 (2019–21).
• 20 out of 30 States/UTs now perform above the national average.
• Enhanced awareness: surveys in MP show 89.5% people aware of BBBP, with 63.2% motivated to send daughters to school.
• With education, women delay marriage and childbirth, lowering India’s TFR to 2.0 (NFHS-5).
• Educated women access institutional deliveries and healthcare, reducing IMR from 49 (2014) to 33 (2020).
• Higher literacy enables women’s participation in STEM, healthcare, and entrepreneurship, diversifying the economy.
• Visible success stories—fighter pilots, CEOs, ISRO scientists—reshape gender roles for future generations.
• Female education aligns with demographic stability, creating healthier families and controlled population growth.

What it is Pandemic Emergency?

The amended International Health Regulations (IHR) entered into force, bringing in a new legal category pandemic emergency.

• A pandemic emergency is a newly defined sub-category under IHR that applies to public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC) but with a heightened threshold when a communicable disease has broad geographic spread, strains health systems, causes major social and economic disruption, and requires rapid, coordinated global action.
• Pandemic emergency is a higher tier beyond PHEIC, but built on top of it the event must already meet PHEIC criteria.
• It Requires wide geographic spread, health system overload, socioeconomic disruption, and need for whole-of-society/whole-of-government response.
• It Emphasis on fairness in access to medical products, financing support, and collaborative global response.
• The amendments clarify that WHO cannot mandate domestic policies (lockdowns, etc.) — countries retain legislative control.
• It does not replace PHEIC but enriches it; avoids duplicative procedures by integrating decision-making.

2024 Amendments:

• Adopted by consensus at the 77th World Health Assembly through Resolution WHA77.17 in June 2024.
• Entry into force was set for 19 September 2025 for States Parties that accept the amendments.
• The Director-General (DG) of WHO may decide if a PHEIC amounts to a pandemic emergency (via Article 12).
• National IHR Authorities must be designated in each country to coordinate implementation across ministries.
• Introduction of a Coordinating Financial Mechanism to assist developing nations in pandemic preparedness.
• Establishment of a States Parties Committee to facilitate implementation.

Environmental surveillance:

ICMR announced a plan to start wastewater surveillance for 10 viruses across 50 Indian cities, expanding India’s disease monitoring system.

• Environmental surveillance is the monitoring of pathogens (viruses, bacteria, parasites) in environmental samples like sewage, wastewater, soil, and air.
• It supplements traditional clinical case detection by identifying hidden and asymptomatic infections in communities.
• Samples are drawn from sewage plants, hospitals, airports, and public spaces, ensuring wide coverage of community health indicators.
• Tests identify viruses, bacteria, and parasites shed in stools, urine, or respiratory secretions, revealing hidden infections.
• Whole-genome sequencing helps track mutations and emerging variants, crucial for pandemic preparedness.
• Daily pathogen load analysis provides trends of spread, offering advance notice of rising infections in populations.

National Pulses Mission : Approved

The Union Cabinet approved the National Pulses Mission (2025–31) with an outlay of ₹11,440 crore to boost pulse production and reduce import dependency.

• It is a six-year central programme (2025–31) under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.
• Designed to achieve Aatmanirbharta in pulses, ensuring food and nutritional security.
• Aim is to Raise domestic pulse production from 242 lakh tonnes (2024–25) to 350 lakh tonnes by 2030–31.
• Nodal Ministry: Union Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare.
• Term: 2025–26 to 2030–31 (six years).
• Budget allocation: ₹11,440 crore.
• Key Features:
  • Expand area to 310 lakh hectares, with yield target of 1,130 kg/ha.
  • Distribution of 126 lakh quintals of certified seeds and 88 lakh free seed kits; monitored through SATHI portal.
  • 100% procurement of Tur, Urad, and Masoor at MSP for four years.
  • 1,000 post-harvest processing units with subsidy up to ₹25 lakh each.
  • Multi-location trials for climate-resilient and pest-resistant pulse varieties.
  • Capacity-building programmes for adoption of modern techniques.

RBI Sets Up Payments Regulatory Board:

The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has set up a new six-member Payments Regulatory Board (PRB) to oversee and regulate India’s payment systems. This move comes at a time when India’s digital payment landscape is expanding rapidly, requiring more focused and adaptable oversight. The PRB replaces the earlier Board for Regulation and Supervision of Payment and Settlement Systems (BPSS) and will function with broader authority and a more inclusive structure, ensuring transparency, efficiency, and security in both domestic and cross-border payment systems.The PRB derives its authority from the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007, which grants legal power for the regulation of payment and settlement systems across India.
Unlike its predecessor, the PRB is not just a sub-committee of the RBI’s Central Board but a distinct entity supported by the Department of Payment and Settlement Systems (DPSS), which will now report directly to this board. This transition signals a more autonomous and robust regulatory framework that aligns with India’s ambitions to lead in digital payments globally.

Who was Pandit Chhannulal Mishra?

Pandit Chhannulal Mishra, one of the most celebrated figures in Hindustani classical music, passed away at the age of 89 in Mirzapur on October 2, 2025. He was Known as the spiritual voice of the Banaras Gharana, Mishra ji’s demise marks the end of a musical era deeply rooted in tradition, devotion, and artistic purity.His musical journey was honed under the Kirana gharana’s khayal tradition, studying with Ustad Abdul Ghani Khan and further refined by musicologist Thakur Jaidev Singh. His iconic performances such as “Sawan Jhar Lagela Dheere Dheere”, “Kaise Sajan Ghar Jaibe”, and “Barsan Laagi Badriya” (with Girija Devi) are etched in the memories of classical music lovers. Though a purist at heart, Mishra occasionally contributed to cinema, notably in the 2011 film “Aarakshan”, with songs like “Saans Albeli” and “Kaun Si Dor”, infusing Bollywood with classical soul.

Elon Musk Becomes First Person Worth $500 Billion:

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has officially become the first person in history to achieve a net worth of $500.1 billion, according to Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires tracker (October 2025). This milestone makes him not just the world’s richest individual, but also puts him $150 billion ahead of Larry Ellison, co-founder of Oracle, who is the second-richest person globally. Musk had earlier become the first person to cross $400 billion in December, 2024. His wealth surge is tied primarily to the performance of his companies: Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI

Asheesh Pandey as MD-CEO of Union Bank and Kalyan Kumar as MD-CEO of Central Bank:

The government has appointed Asheesh Pandey as the Managing Director and CEO of Union Bank of India, and Kalyan Kumar as the MD and CEO of Central Bank of India. Both appointments are for a three-year term, following the approval of the Appointments Committee of the Cabinet (ACC). Asheesh Pandey previously serving as Executive Director at Bank of Maharashtra, Asheesh Pandey brings experience in banking operations and credit management. He will now take over as the CEO of Union Bank of India, one of India’s largest public sector banks. Kalyan Kumar currently the Executive Director at Punjab National Bank (PNB), Kalyan Kumar will succeed M.V. Rao as the CEO of Central Bank of India upon Rao’s superannuation in July 2025.

Veteran freedom fighter and Gandhian socialist G G Parikh died:

On October 2, 2025, freedom fighter, Gandhian, and socialist stalwart Dr. G G Parikh passed away in Mumbai at the age of 100, bringing to an end a remarkable life deeply intertwined with India’s freedom movement, post-independence socialist politics, and grassroots development. Fittingly, Parikh’s death occurred on Gandhi Jayanti, the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, whose ideals he embraced and lived by throughout his life. He was often referred to as the “Saint of the Socialists”, embodying simplicity, commitment, and moral courage.

GST collections for September 2025 rose by 9.1%:

Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections for September 2025 reached ₹1.89 lakh crore, marking a 9.1% year-on-year increase and 1.5% growth over the previous month. This growth comes despite recent tax rate reductions under the GST 2.0 reforms, suggesting sustained consumption and robust tax compliance. The September collection is especially significant as it captures the initial effects of the rate rationalisation introduced from September 22, which lowered GST on 375 essential and non-essential items, including food, medicines, electronics, and automobiles.