🗞️ Why in News Alongside today’s deep dives on AATAL, the new air pollution source apportionment laboratory at IITM’s Delhi branch and the first general election, whose polling began 75 years ago today, the 25 October 2026 roundup covers NITI Aayog Member Rajiv Gauba’s call for directly elected mayors, a Bay of Bengal depression that IMD forecasts will become a very severe cyclonic storm, a Cauvery direction to Karnataka, DRDO’s Air Independent Propulsion module, 11 crore Farmer IDs, a CERT-In audit sought for the VAHAN and SARATHI portals, the 139th Mann Ki Baat, a manufacturing city at Gaya and Ladakh’s local polls. Also in the news: Ladakh’s hill council regulation, the BRICS Parliamentary Forum, Israel’s election, a $25 billion penalty on Meta, an alleged CBFC data exposure, CAQM in Punjab and two new rail sections in Madhya Pradesh.

National Urban Conclave: NITI’s Gauba Calls for Directly Elected Mayors

The second National Urban Conclave, organised by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, on 24 and 25 October 2026, closed on Sunday with a call for stronger city governments from Rajiv Gauba, Member, NITI Aayog, in the valedictory session, PIB reported. Minister of State for Housing and Urban Affairs Tokhan Sahu inaugurated the Conclave, held on the theme “Urban Rising - Rethinking Urban Systems, Solutions and Delivery”, with the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) as knowledge partner.

What Gauba called for

  • City leadership: “he called for cities to have directly elected mayors with 5-year terms, introduce Mayor-in-Council system and ensure timely municipal elections.”
  • Functions: States should devolve all 18 functions to urban local bodies, in line with the 74th Amendment.
  • Finance: Central Finance Commission grants to urban local bodies have more than doubled, with their share rising to 45% from 36%, he said, but devolution from States to cities remains low, and State Finance Commissions “should be regularly constituted”.
  • The route: States can carry out these reforms by bringing in new Municipal Acts, he said, and he urged MoHUA to link them to support under the urban missions. He also urged States to adopt the Model Tenancy Act.
  • The scale: with nearly half of India’s population expected to live in urban areas by 2050, the urban population is projected to rise from about 50 crore now to 85 crore, Gauba said.
  • Money for growth hubs: he pointed to the ₹1 lakh crore Urban Challenge Fund announced in the 2025-26 Budget and this year’s Budget allocation of ₹5,000 crore each for seven city economic regions over five years.

These are calls, not decisions. PIB tied them to a report “jointly developed by NITI Aayog and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA)”, which the release names “Moving Towards Effective City Governance”; the report’s own cover reads Moving Towards Effective City Government: A Framework for Million-Plus Cities. It came out in April 2026, so it is not new. It recommends “A directly elected Mayor with a 5-year term” and “An empowered Mayor-in-Council system”, and it covers India’s 47 million-plus cities, which by its count hold nearly a third of India’s urban population.

Among the launches at the Conclave was an advisory on construction and demolition (C&D) waste, under the Construction and Demolition Waste Management Rules 2025, which supersede the 2016 rules.

The constitutional hinge: Part IXA

  • Part IXA of the Constitution was inserted by the Constitution (Seventy-fourth Amendment) Act, 1992.
  • Article 243W says the Legislature of a State “may, by law, endow” the Municipalities with the powers they need to function as institutions of self-government, including on the matters in the Twelfth Schedule. It enables devolution rather than ordering it; the NITI report notes it leaves the decision to the States, “leaving it to the respective state governments to take the final decision”.
  • Twelfth Schedule: 18 matters, from “Urban planning including town planning” (item 1) to “Regulation of slaughter houses and tanneries” (item 18), with water supply, fire services, and roads and bridges among them.
  • Article 243U: a Municipality continues for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting, unless dissolved sooner under law.
  • Article 243ZA: elections to the Municipalities are conducted under the State Election Commission.
  • Article 243Y: the Finance Commission constituted under Article 243-I (the State Finance Commission) also reviews the financial position of the Municipalities and makes recommendations to the Governor.

📌 Facts Corner

  • 2nd National Urban Conclave: Bhubaneswar, 24 and 25 October 2026; organised by MoHUA, with NIUA as knowledge partner.
  • Gauba’s call: directly elected mayors with five-year terms, a Mayor-in-Council system and timely municipal elections.
  • Twelfth Schedule: 18 matters for Municipalities; Part IXA came with the 74th Amendment Act, 1992.
  • Article 243ZA: State Election Commission runs municipal polls; Article 243Y: the State Finance Commission reviews municipal finances.

Bay of Bengal Depression: IMD Forecasts a Very Severe Cyclonic Storm

The low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a depression on Saturday evening, 24 October 2026, about 820 km east-southeast of Kakinada, The Hindu reported. At 0830 hours IST on 25 October, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) placed it near latitude 15.3°N and longitude 91.2°E, about 440 km north-northwest of Sri Vijaya Puram (Andaman Islands) and 880 km east-southeast of Visakhapatnam. Every step of IMD’s forecast is “very likely”, not certain:

  • Path and growth: the system is “very likely to move nearly southwards, intensify into a Deep Depression and then gradually recurve west-northwestwards”, becoming a cyclonic storm by the morning of 26 October and a severe cyclonic storm around the morning of 27 October, before intensifying further into a very severe cyclonic storm.
  • Landfall, as forecast: “It is very likely to cross Andhra Pradesh & Yanam coasts between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam as a very severe cyclonic storm with the maximum sustained wind speed of 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph by forenoon of 28th October, 2026.”
  • Warnings: IMD has issued a Cyclone Alert for Andhra Pradesh and the adjoining south Odisha coasts (an Orange Message). It says extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely over Andhra Pradesh on 27 and 28 October and over Odisha on 28 October, and it advises fishermen not to venture into the sea along and off the Andhra Pradesh-Odisha coasts on 27 and 28 October.
  • The States: The Hindu reports red alerts for 28 October in 12 Andhra Pradesh districts and five Odisha districts, and educational institutions in five Odisha districts will be closed on 28 and 29 October. Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu reviewed preparedness on Saturday.

The bulletin calls the system only a “Depression”: it has no name yet. RSMC New Delhi gives a name only once a system’s wind speed reaches 34 knots, the cyclonic-storm threshold. Our roundup of the day before explains how the names are chosen.

📌 Facts Corner

  • Depression formed: Saturday evening, 24 October 2026, over the Bay of Bengal (The Hindu).
  • IMD forecast: landfall between Bapatla and Visakhapatnam by the forenoon of 28 October, at 115-125 kmph gusting to 140 kmph.
  • Naming: RSMC New Delhi names a system once its wind speed reaches 34 knots (cyclonic storm stage).
  • IMD classes: deep depression 28-33 knots; cyclonic storm 34-47 knots (62-88 kmph); very severe cyclonic storm 64-89 knots (118-166 kmph).

Cauvery: CWRC Directs Karnataka to Ensure 3,000 Cusecs at Biligundlu

The Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) has directed Karnataka to ensure a flow of 3,000 cusecs at Biligundlu for 15 days from 8 a.m. on 24 October, The Hindu reported on 24 October. The paper puts this at 3.88 tmcft over the 15 days, and reports that the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) upheld the direction at its 60th meeting, following the CWRC’s 145th meeting.

  • Tamil Nadu’s demand: 18.402 tmcft over the next 15 days, including a claimed backlog of 13.829 tmcft, which worked out to a release rate of 14,236 cusecs a day. The direction is far below it.
  • Karnataka’s case, as the State put it: its reservoirs received 122.293 tmcft this year against a 30-year average inflow of 273.865 tmcft, a deficit of 55.35%; 226 of its 240 taluks have been declared drought-affected; and against a stipulated release of 45.231 tmcft at Biligundlu, the recorded flow was 47.092 tmcft.
  • Storage claims: Tamil Nadu cites 20.887 tmcft in Mettur; Karnataka counters that Tamil Nadu holds 29.377 tmcft in the Mettur, Bhavani and Amaravathi reservoirs and that rainfall in 13 Tamil Nadu districts is 112% above normal.

The figures above are the two States’ submissions, not the committee’s findings.

Background

  • The CWMA and the CWRC were constituted by a Union government gazette notification dated 1 June 2018, to give effect to the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal’s decision as modified by the Supreme Court’s order of 16 February 2018.
  • That verdict reduced the total delivery of Cauvery water from Karnataka to Tamil Nadu in a normal year, measured at Biligundlu, from 192 TMC to 177.25 TMC.

📌 Facts Corner

  • CWRC direction: 3,000 cusecs at Biligundlu for 15 days from 24 October 2026 (about 3.88 tmcft), upheld by the CWMA at its 60th meeting.
  • CWMA and CWRC: constituted on 1 June 2018 to give effect to the Tribunal’s award as modified by the Supreme Court (16 February 2018).
  • Normal-year delivery to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu: 177.25 TMC, down from 192 TMC after the 2018 verdict.

DRDO’s AIP Energy Module: Setting to Work Phase-2 Begins at Hazira

The Setting to Work Phase (STW)-2 activity of the Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) system’s Energy Module, developed indigenously by DRDO’s Naval Materials Research Laboratory (NMRL), was inaugurated at Larsen and Toubro’s AM Naik Heavy Engineering Complex in Hazira, Gujarat, on 24 October 2026, PIB said.

  • What AIP does: in PIB’s words, it “boosts the underwater endurance of the diesel-electric submarines by reducing its dependence on atmospheric oxygen”.
  • The design: NMRL’s AIP is fuel cell-based, and PIB described it in 2021 as “unique as the hydrogen is generated onboard”. Its land-based prototype was proven in March 2021, with L&T and Thermax as industry partners.
  • What comes next (planned): the Energy Module “will be energised for power production and tested rigorously as per Indian Navy’s protocols before handing over to Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited for integration on Kalvari-class Submarine in early 2027.”
  • The plug: a contract for the construction of the AIP plug and its integration, worth around Rs 1,990 crore, was signed with Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited (MDL) in December 2024.

STW-2 is one phase of testing. The module is not yet fitted to any submarine.

📌 Facts Corner

  • AIP Energy Module: developed by NMRL, DRDO; STW-2 inaugurated at L&T’s Hazira complex, Gujarat, on 24 October 2026.
  • Next step: energising and tests to Navy protocols, then handover to MDL for Kalvari-class integration, planned for early 2027.
  • Technology: fuel cell-based AIP with hydrogen generated onboard; land-based prototype proven on 8 March 2021.

Digital Agriculture Mission: 11 Crore Farmer IDs Created

The Government of India “has achieved its target of creating 11 crore Farmer IDs, five months ahead of the” deadline of 31 March 2027, PIB said on 24 October; the last of them were created by the night of 23 October. The release says the Prime Minister had set that deadline. PIB’s release of the day before had given the target as December 2027; our roundup of 23 October reported the count when it was just short of 11 crore.

  • The scheme: Farmer IDs are created under the Digital Agriculture Mission, implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare and launched after the Union Cabinet’s approval in September 2024.
  • Benefits so far: more than 6 crore farmers have received direct benefits under various schemes, PIB says.
  • What it should make simpler: access to Kisan Credit Card and bank loans, the PM Fasal Bima Yojana, disaster relief and MSP procurement is “expected to become simpler”, in PIB’s words.
  • Tenant farmers: States and Union Territories are taking steps, under their rules, to bring tenant farmers and actual cultivators onto the platform.

📌 Facts Corner

  • 11 crore Farmer IDs: completed by the night of 23 October 2026 under the Digital Agriculture Mission (Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare).
  • Digital Agriculture Mission: launched after Union Cabinet approval on 2 September 2024.
  • Count, not beneficiaries: 11 crore is the number of IDs; PIB says more than 6 crore farmers have received direct benefits.

VAHAN, SARATHI Data Sale: Road Ministry Seeks CERT-In Forensic Audit

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has asked the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In) to conduct a forensic security audit of the VAHAN, SARATHI, e-Challan and PUCC portals, The Hindu reported on 24 October. The trigger, the paper says, was vehicle information being sold through multiple apps and websites “for as little as ₹5”, according to an investigation by the security firm Cyderes. The Ministry has written to app store operators, including Google, asking them to remove such apps, and has sought the intervention of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) to review its data-sharing policy.

  • The portals: “Vahan manages vehicle-registration records; Sarathi handles driving licences and related services; e-Challan records traffic violations and fines; and PUCC manages pollution control certificates.”
  • Who may see the data: under the policy, government bodies, including the police, may access all data fields, in accordance with the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023; private entities may access only selected fields, with a daily cap; and all entities must hold a Security Audit Certificate from CERT-In, the report says.
  • The scale of private access: through an RTI request, the Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) found that 25,314 credentials had been issued to private entities, through which 1.708 crore queries were run over 33 months.
  • Tightening: government agencies seeking data will now need the approval of the Transport Secretary; officials ruled out suspending data sharing with private entities.

The audit has been sought; no finding has been reported, and the report does not establish a breach of the portals themselves. For the data protection law behind such cases, read today’s explainer on the SBI data breach and the DPDP law.

📌 Facts Corner

  • VAHAN: vehicle registration; SARATHI: driving licences; e-Challan: traffic fines; PUCC: pollution control certificates.
  • CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team): asked by MoRTH to audit the four portals; every data-access entity needs its Security Audit Certificate.
  • IFF’s RTI finding: 25,314 credentials issued to private entities; 1.708 crore queries in 33 months.

Mann Ki Baat, 139th Episode: Kapany, Bhai Parmanand and e-Sanjeevani

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke in the 139th episode of Mann Ki Baat on 25 October 2026. The points with exam value, each as the Prime Minister put them (PIB’s English rendering):

  • Narinder Singh Kapany: the country will mark the 100th birth anniversary of the scientist on 31 October. “The world knows him as the Father of Fiber Optics”, and he was born in the Moga district of Punjab.
  • Bhai Parmanand: his 150th birth anniversary will be celebrated on 4 November. The Prime Minister called him one of the founding members of the Ghadar Party, said the British sentenced him to Kala Pani, and pointed to his book Aapbeeti: Kaale Paani Ki Kaaraavaas Kahaani. He was deeply associated with the Arya Samaj.
  • Maharishi Valmiki: his birth anniversary falls on 26 October.
  • Ekta Diwas: 31 October is the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, observed as Ekta Diwas, with a Run for Unity.
  • e-Sanjeevani: “approximately 50 crore tele-consultations have been conducted through this platform so far”, and there are nearly 190,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs across the country.
  • Brain mapping: the Prime Minister said he had inaugurated the Sudha Gopalakrishnan Brain Centre at IIT Madras, which aims to map and study 100 human brains in minute detail using the Param Shakti supercomputer. He called it “the first mission of its kind in the world”.
  • Khadi: on Gandhi Jayanti, sales of Khadi Gram Udyog products exceeded ₹28 crore in a single day, ₹1.5 crore more than the year before.
  • From the grassroots: the revival of the Heval river in Tehri Garhwal, Uttarakhand, and the packaging of Shabari Naturals, which reflects tribal art and has won Japan’s Good Design Award.

📌 Facts Corner

  • Narinder Singh Kapany: “Father of Fiber Optics”, born in Moga, Punjab; his 100th birth anniversary falls on 31 October 2026.
  • Bhai Parmanand: a founding member of the Ghadar Party; his 150th birth anniversary falls on 4 November 2026.
  • Ekta Diwas: 31 October, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel’s birth anniversary, marked with a Run for Unity.
  • e-Sanjeevani: about 50 crore tele-consultations so far, the Prime Minister said.

Gaya Manufacturing City: Bihar Launches the AKIC Cluster Company

Bihar Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary formally launched Bihar Integrated Manufacturing City Gaya Limited (BIMCGL) at Bodh Gaya on 24 October 2026, PIB said. BIMCGL is the special purpose vehicle (SPV) for the Integrated Manufacturing Cluster (IMC) at Gaya, which is being developed under the Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC) as part of the National Industrial Corridor Development Programme (NICDP).

  • The project: 1,670 acres in Dobhi block of Gaya district, approved by the Government of India in August 2024 at a total cost of ₹1,339 crore, including land. It is expected to attract investments of about ₹16,500 crore and to create jobs for around 1.10 lakh people; these are expectations, not results.
  • The company: a joint venture of the Bihar Industrial Area Development Authority (BIADA) and the National Industrial Corridor Development and Implementation Trust (NICDIT), with equal equity, incorporated in January 2025. Physical construction has begun, PIB says.
  • MoUs at the launch: 12 MoUs covering about 300 acres, with proposed investments of around ₹4,200 crore and an estimated 16,095 jobs.

📌 Facts Corner

  • IMC Gaya: 1,670 acres in Dobhi block, Gaya; on the Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor (AKIC), under the NICDP.
  • Approval: 28 August 2024, at a total cost of ₹1,339 crore including land.
  • BIMCGL: the SPV; a joint venture of BIADA and NICDIT with equal equity, incorporated on 6 January 2025.

Ladakh: Home Ministry Talks Stall; Municipal Polls on 21 November

  • The talks did not take place: the proposed talks between the Union Home Ministry and representatives from Ladakh, scheduled for Thursday, 22 October 2026, in New Delhi, “failed to take place”, The Hindu reported. The Leh Apex Body (LAB) and the Kargil Democratic Alliance (KDA) had called the Ministry’s draft, which proposes a new governance structure for Ladakh, “a departure from the earlier promises”. Our 17 October roundup covered their rejection of the draft.
  • Municipal polls: Ladakh’s Chief Electoral Officer, Rahul Sharma, on 23 October announced polling for the Leh and Kargil municipal committees on 21 November, The Hindu reported. The notification will be issued on 29 October, the last date for nominations is 5 November, and the process will be completed by 30 November. Leh has 21 wards and Kargil 17, and the Model Code of Conduct has come into force.
  • Panchayat polls: The Hindu and the Kashmir Despatch report that the State Election Commission, Ladakh, has announced panchayat elections for 21 November and notified 100 constituencies across the eight districts. Some reports describe that date as proposed rather than final.
  • Not the hill councils: these are municipal and panchayat elections. None of them is an election to the hill councils (see “Also in the News” below).

📌 Facts Corner

  • Leh and Kargil municipal committees: polling scheduled for 21 November 2026; Leh has 21 wards, Kargil 17.
  • Panchayat polls: 21 November 2026 as reported, in 100 constituencies across Ladakh’s eight districts.
  • LAB and KDA: the Leh Apex Body and the Kargil Democratic Alliance, the two groups in talks with the Home Ministry.

Also in the News

  • Ladakh hill councils: a new regulation (promulgated 16 October). President Droupadi Murmu promulgated the Ladakh Autonomous Hill Development Councils (LAHDC) (Amendment) Regulation, 2026 on 16 October, after the Union Cabinet approved the amendments on 14 October, Lieutenant Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena said on Tuesday, 20 October, The Hindu reported. As The Hindu reports the LG’s statement, it rationalises the number of constituencies from the earlier 26 seats in each council to a minimum of seven and a maximum of 24, and provides for the nomination of four members from women and unrepresented communities. It paves the way for a hill council in each of Ladakh’s eight districts, including the newly created Sankoo district; before 2019 there were two, for Leh and Kargil, and LAHDC-Kargil, which held elections in 2023, remains in place. KDA member Sajjad Kargilli said the changes were made “without consulting the people and stakeholders of Ladakh”.
  • BRICS Parliamentary Forum: Iran’s Speaker will not attend. The Speaker of Iran’s Islamic Consultative Assembly, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, will not attend the 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum, which Parliament will host in New Delhi on 26 and 27 October, the Embassy of Iran announced on Saturday, 24 October, citing “unforeseen circumstance”; an Iranian parliamentary delegation will take part, The Hindu reported. The forum itself was in our 23 October roundup.
  • Israel votes on 27 October. Israel will go to the polls on Tuesday, 27 October. Several opinion polls project that Gadi Eisenkot’s year-old centrist party, Yashar (Hebrew for “Straight”), will win 20 of the 120 seats in parliament, ahead of Mr. Netanyahu’s Likud, with neither bloc projected to secure a clear majority, a profile in The Hindu says. Eisenkot served as Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces from 2015 to 2019.
  • Meta: a $25 billion penalty in New Mexico (announced 21 October). Meta must pay $25 billion as a civil penalty for violations of New Mexico’s Unfair Practices Act, the U.S. State announced on 21 October, The Hindu reported. At $5,000 per violation found by the jury, the penalty would have been over $219 billion, but Judge Francis Mathew reduced it. The paper puts the jury’s finding at over 43 million violations; the State’s Attorney General put it at nearly 44 million. Meta plans to appeal, and interest accrues at 15% a year until the penalty is paid in full. The penalty is five times the $5 billion fine the U.S. Federal Trade Commission earlier imposed on Facebook.
  • CBFC: an alleged data exposure. The Hindu reported on 25 October that a data breach at the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) exposed information from applications for more than 500 titles; the leak “appears to have originated from the e-Cinepramaan portal”, and the datasets, downloadable from the Internet Archive, were taken down on 12 October. The CBFC said that, “based on the information examined so far, no trace has been found of the certification-related documents that were claimed to have been accessed”. It has complained to the cybercrime authorities, notified CERT-In and committed to a “thorough security audit”, the paper reports.
  • CAQM in Amritsar and Tarn Taran (24 October). A team led by Rajesh Verma, Chairperson of the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM), reviewed stubble burning with the Deputy Commissioners of Amritsar and Tarn Taran on 24 October and expressed concern at the increased number of fire incidents, PIB said. Tarn Taran, which “continues to report amongst the highest number of paddy stubble burning incidents”, was told to accord the issue topmost priority. More in today’s AATAL deep dive and the explainer on Punjab’s farm fires.
  • Madhya Pradesh: two new rail sections (24 October). The Satna-Devendranagar (about 53 km, about ₹873 crore) and Rewa-Churhat (about 65 km, about ₹1,070 crore) rail sections were inaugurated on 24 October, and a Devendranagar-Churhat passenger train was flagged off, PIB said. Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw joined from New Delhi by video conference, and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav was present. Both sections fall under the Lalitpur-Singrauli Railway Project, which the Chief Minister described as 541 km long; the opening covers these two sections, not the whole line.

From earlier editions

UPSC Relevance

Paper Syllabus theme Today’s hook
GS1 Important geophysical phenomena such as cyclones Bay of Bengal depression; IMD’s forecast and naming rule
GS1 The freedom struggle: important contributors Bhai Parmanand and the Ghadar Party
GS2 Devolution of powers and finances up to local levels Gauba’s call for elected mayors; Part IXA and the Twelfth Schedule
GS2 Federal structure; inter-State issues Cauvery direction to Karnataka; Ladakh talks and polls
GS2 Government policies and interventions Farmer IDs; MoRTH’s data-sharing policy
GS2 Important international institutions; developments abroad BRICS Parliamentary Forum; Israel’s election
GS3 Infrastructure; industrial corridors Gaya IMC on the AKIC; Madhya Pradesh rail sections
GS3 Indigenisation of technology; defence DRDO’s AIP Energy Module
GS3 Basics of cyber security VAHAN and SARATHI audit; CBFC exposure
GS3 Disaster management; environmental pollution Cyclone preparedness; CAQM in Punjab
GS3 Science and technology: achievements of Indians Narinder Singh Kapany; the IIT Madras brain centre

📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia

Prelims, statement-ready facts:

  • Part IXA: inserted by the 74th Amendment Act, 1992; Article 243W lets States endow Municipalities with Twelfth Schedule matters (18).
  • Article 243ZA: State Election Commission conducts municipal polls; Article 243U: five-year term for Municipalities.
  • Cyclone naming: RSMC New Delhi names a system at 34 knots; IMD’s very severe cyclonic storm band is 64-89 knots.
  • CWMA and CWRC: constituted on 1 June 2018; normal-year delivery to Tamil Nadu at Biligundlu is 177.25 TMC.
  • AIP: NMRL, DRDO; fuel cell-based, hydrogen generated onboard; STW-2 at L&T Hazira on 24 October 2026.
  • Farmer IDs: 11 crore under the Digital Agriculture Mission; Cabinet approval on 2 September 2024.
  • IMC Gaya: on the Amritsar Kolkata Industrial Corridor; SPV BIMCGL is a BIADA-NICDIT joint venture.
  • LAHDC (Amendment) Regulation, 2026: 7 to 24 seats per council plus four nominated; councils for all eight districts.
  • Narinder Singh Kapany: “Father of Fiber Optics”, born in Moga, Punjab; Bhai Parmanand: Ghadar Party founding member.

Prelims, the traps:

  • Article 243W says “may”: devolving the 18 functions is the State’s choice; Gauba’s call for elected mayors is a call, not a decision.
  • The cyclone is a forecast: as of 25 October the system is a depression with no name; landfall is forecast, not certain.
  • 11 crore is a count of IDs: more than 6 crore farmers have received direct benefits, per PIB.
  • AIP is not on a submarine yet: Kalvari-class integration by MDL is planned for early 2027.
  • 21 November polls: municipal committees and panchayats, not the hill councils.
  • NICDIT is not NICDC: the Trust is BIMCGL’s partner; NICDC is a separate corporation.

Mains, arguments and keywords:

  • City government: directly elected mayors, a Mayor-in-Council, timely polls and the 18 functions; States act through new Municipal Acts.
  • Municipal finance: Central Finance Commission grants have grown, but State-to-city devolution stays low; regular State Finance Commissions.
  • Data governance: VAHAN data sale shows the risk in State-to-private data sharing; audit, approval layers and the DPDP Act, 2023.
  • Water federalism: CWMA and CWRC turn a Tribunal award into 15-day flow directions in deficit years.

Interview, be ready for:

  • “Should mayors be directly elected?” Weigh accountability and a clear city leader against State control; note that Article 243W leaves it to States.
  • “How should the State share citizen data with private firms?” Use the IFF figures, the CERT-In audit and the DPDP Act, 2023.

Sources: PIB, 24 October 2026 and 25 October 2026 (National Urban Conclave); NITI Aayog, report on city government for million-plus cities; India Meteorological Department, National Bulletin No. 4 (BOB/08/2026), 25 October 2026; The Hindu, Delhi edition, 25 October 2026 (the depression, BRICS Parliamentary Forum); The Hindu, 24 October 2026 (Cauvery; Road Ministry portals); PIB, 24 October 2026 (AIP); PIB, 24 October 2026 (Farmer IDs); PIB, Mann Ki Baat, 25 October 2026; PIB, 24 October 2026 (Gaya); The Hindu, October 2026 (Ladakh talks, polls and the LAHDC regulation; Israel; Meta); The Hindu, 25 October 2026 (CBFC); PIB, 24 October 2026 (CAQM); PIB, 24 October 2026 (Madhya Pradesh rail); Constitution of India, Part IXA and the Twelfth Schedule.

Cite this page: Current Affairs Today 25 October 2026: UPSC News Roundup — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs