UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 August 2025

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 August 2025 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles

InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background.

Table of Contents

GS Paper 2 : (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 August (2025)

• Breaking the Colonial Steel Frame for a Deep-Tech Future

Breaking the Colonial Steel Frame for a Deep-Tech Future

GS Paper 3:

• Extreme Heat and the Future of Work

Extreme Heat and the Future of Work

Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):

• Compassionate Policing and Elderly Care

Compassionate Policing and Elderly Care

Facts for Prelims (FFP):

• Rethinking Homestays: Navigating Policy Pathways Report by NITI Aayog

Rethinking Homestays: Navigating Policy Pathways Report by NITI Aayog

• Sundarbans Tiger Reserve

Sundarbans Tiger Reserve

• UN declares famine in Gaza

UN declares famine in Gaza

• Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

• Great Nicobar Project

Great Nicobar Project

Mapping:

• Algeria

Algeria

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 August 2025

#### GS Paper 2:

Breaking the Colonial Steel Frame for a Deep-Tech Future

Syllabus: Governance

Source: IE

Context : India has achieved global leadership in fintech and digital penetration, yet it remains import-dependent in semiconductors, aerospace, and advanced technologies. Realising the Viksit Bharat 2047 deep-tech vision requires dismantling colonial-era bureaucratic, regulatory, and judicial legacies that constrain innovation.

India’s Deep-Tech Ambition

• In his Independence Day 2025 address, the Prime Minister highlighted self-reliance in semiconductors, clean energy, nuclear technology, jet engines, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, biotechnology, and space exploration.

• Key Achievements: UPI transactions have crossed 14 billion per month (NPCI, 2025); IndiaStack is being adopted in Singapore, UAE, and France. Over 800 million smartphone users, with the lowest mobile data costs globally (~₹10/GB). Global deep-tech companies such as Nvidia, IBM, and Microsoft maintain R&D centres in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune.

• UPI transactions have crossed 14 billion per month (NPCI, 2025); IndiaStack is being adopted in Singapore, UAE, and France.

• Over 800 million smartphone users, with the lowest mobile data costs globally (~₹10/GB).

• Global deep-tech companies such as Nvidia, IBM, and Microsoft maintain R&D centres in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Pune.

• Persistent Gaps: Semiconductor imports amounted to ₹1.2 lakh crore in 2023–24 (Commerce Ministry). India contributes less than 5% to global AI patents (WIPO, 2024). Critical defence technologies still rely on foreign collaborations, e.g., GE–HAL partnership for Tejas jet engines (2023).

• Semiconductor imports amounted to ₹1.2 lakh crore in 2023–24 (Commerce Ministry).

• India contributes less than 5% to global AI patents (WIPO, 2024).

• Critical defence technologies still rely on foreign collaborations, e.g., GE–HAL partnership for Tejas jet engines (2023).

Colonial Roots of Governance Constraints

• Bureaucracy – The Westminster-style “steel frame,” designed for colonial rule, remains largely unchanged. Recruitment through UPSC continues to emphasise generalist skills. The Second Administrative Reforms Commission recommended lateral entry and enforceable ethics codes, but implementation has been partial.

• The Second Administrative Reforms Commission recommended lateral entry and enforceable ethics codes, but implementation has been partial.

• Regulatory Structures – India’s system is compliance-heavy, with over 39,000 compliances across sectors (DPIIT). The Deregulation Commission was tasked with pruning these, but progress has been limited.

• The Deregulation Commission was tasked with pruning these, but progress has been limited.

• Judiciary – Over 5 crore cases are pending (SC E-Committee, 2025), and contract enforcement averages 1,445 days (World Bank, 2020). Weak intellectual property enforcement further discourages deep-tech innovation.

Challenges

• Political–Administrative Balance – Bureaucratic insulation slows policy execution, unlike the US DARPA model where political leadership ensures direction with minimal red tape.

• Federal Deficit – Deep-tech clusters rely on State policies such as the UP-Semiconductor Policy and the Bengaluru–Chennai Corridor, but centralisation restricts their autonomy.

• Private Sector and Start-ups – Although India has the third-largest start-up ecosystem (100+ unicorns), fewer than 10% are deep-tech due to uncertain regulations and slow approvals. The Drone Rules, 2021 liberalised licensing, but bottlenecks remain.

• Human Capital Management – Over two lakh STEM students migrate abroad annually (MEA), reflecting weak domestic retention. Public labs face rigid hierarchies and limited incentives.

• Global Standards Gap – India risks being a rule-taker. Frameworks like the EU AI Act (2024) and the US CHIPS and Science Act already shape global norms, while India lacks comparable regimes.

• Cultural Ethos – Colonial proceduralism prioritises control and hierarchy over outcomes, discouraging risk-taking and innovation.

Implications

• Economic – Semiconductor and aerospace import dependence raises the current account deficit and constrains export competitiveness.

• Strategic – Foreign reliance heightens vulnerability. The US ban on advanced chip exports to China highlighted risks of dependence.

• Social – Limited deep-tech jobs risk excluding India’s youth from Industry 4.0 opportunities.

• Governance – Delayed reforms weaken state capacity, reducing efficiency in digital service delivery and eroding institutional trust.

• Innovation Ecosystem – Weak regulatory and judicial support deters venture capital inflows and IP creation, leading to continued dominance of multinational corporations in India’s deep-tech sector.

Way Forward

• Civil Service Reform – Redesign UPSC to emphasise domain expertise; institutionalise lateral entry; enforce a Public Service Code of Ethics.

• Regulatory Modernisation – Adopt risk-based regulation; expand regulatory sandboxes (as RBI piloted in 2019 for fintech) to AI and biotech; establish single-window approvals for deep-tech.

• Judicial Transformation – Strengthen commercial courts under the Commercial Courts Act, 2015; deploy AI-enabled case management; bolster IP tribunals.

• Federal Empowerment – Provide States fiscal incentives for semiconductor fabs, e.g., Gujarat’s Micron facility (2023); expand localised skilling through Skill India 2.0.

• Global Leadership – Shape norms on AI, digital trade, and data governance at G20, BRICS, and UN platforms; champion open-source deep-tech for the Global South.

• Cultural Reset – Replace colonial “file-pushing” with innovation-first, outcome-oriented governance, echoing the Prime Minister’s 2022 call to shed the “colonial mindset.”

Conclusion

India’s digital achievements highlight its transformative capacity, but deep-tech leadership requires dismantling colonial-era governance legacies. Comprehensive reforms in bureaucracy, regulation, and judiciary are indispensable for realising Viksit Bharat 2047.

#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 August 2025 GS Paper 3:

Extreme Heat and the Future of Work

Syllabus: Environment

Source: DTE

Context

The WHO–WMO report *Climate Change and Workplace Heat Stress* (2025) highlights how rising global temperatures are creating a severe occupational health and productivity crisis. With 2024 the warmest year on record (1.45°C above pre-industrial levels), both outdoor and indoor workers face growing risks.

Key Findings of the WHO–WMO Report

• Productivity Losses – Each 1°C rise in WBGT above 20°C reduces productivity by 2–3%; sun exposure adds another 2–3°C

• Scale of Exposure – Over 4 billion workers affected; annually 22.85 million injuries, 18,970 deaths, and 2.09 million DALYs linked to heat stress.

• Geographical Hotspots – 30% of the world’s population faces heat stress as an everyday or seasonal problem, with South Asia, Middle East, and Sub-Saharan Africa worst hit.

• Health Impacts – Over one-third of workers in hot conditions report physiological heat strain. WHO guidance (1969) states that core body temperature should not exceed 38°C during an 8-hour shift, but this is increasingly breached.

• Climate Change Dimension – 40–50°C daytime peaks now frequent, spreading risks beyond tropics; worker fatalities recorded in Europe’s 2023 heatwaves.

Implications

• Public Health Strain – Heat stress raises risks of heat stroke, kidney disease, and cardiovascular collapse. India’s brick kiln workers, who often start before sunrise to avoid peak heat, still suffer dehydration, dizziness, and lost wages due to shortened work hours.

• Economic Productivity Loss – ILO projects 34 million jobs equivalent could be lost in India by 2030 in agriculture and construction; developing economies face GDP shrinkage.

• Social Inequality – The poor, migrant labourers, and women workers disproportionately bear the risks due to lack of safeguards, e.g., Gulf migrant construction deaths.

• Climate Justice Challenge – Countries contributing least to emissions, like Bangladesh and Sub-Saharan Africa, endure the harshest impacts, worsening global inequity.

• Food Security Risks – Declining agricultural labour productivity threatens crop cycles and farmer incomes, compounding hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable regions.

• Legal and Institutional Burden – Rising cases of occupational illness may overwhelm compensation systems and labour courts, exposing gaps in occupational safety laws.

What can be done?

• Occupational Heat Action Plans: Cities should adopt early warning systems, reschedule work timings, and train communities.

Example: The Ahmedabad Heat Action Plan (India) provides heat alerts, shaded shelters, and worker training, reducing mortality during heatwaves.

• Infrastructure & Technology: Cooling shelters, shaded work zones, hydration points, and mechanisation can reduce manual strain.

Example: Bangladesh garment sector pilots introduced low-cost ventilation and cooling fans in factories, cutting worker fatigue.

• Labour Policy Reforms: Enforce heat-index-based work-hour regulations, paid rest breaks, and compensation for heat-linked illnesses.

Example: Qatar’s labour law bans outdoor work from 10 am–3:30 pm during peak summer, ensuring rest breaks in shaded areas.

• Public Health Measures: Regular health screenings, hydration protocols, and recognition of heat stress as an occupational disease.

Example: US OSHA’s “Water–Rest–Shade” campaign institutionalises mandatory hydration and rest periods in outdoor industries.

• Global & National Coordination: Mainstream heat stress into ILO conventions, COP climate talks, and SDG frameworks, with adaptation finance for vulnerable economies.

Example: Australia’s workplace safety standards integrate climate projections for mining and agriculture, making them future-ready.

Conclusion

Extreme heat is no longer only an environmental challenge but a core labour rights and economic resilience issue. Safeguarding workers through heat-adaptive policies and best practices is vital to protect health, productivity, and dignity in a warming world.

#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 August 2025 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

Compassionate Policing and Elderly Care

Context

The Greater Chennai Police have reported that their senior citizen support helplines have received 3,433 calls in 2025 so far, reflecting growing reliance on institutional mechanisms for elderly care.

Key Features of the Initiatives

• Toll-Free Helpline 1253 (since 2004) Provides emergency help, medical aid, and safety support to citizens aged 60+. In 2025, received 2,242 calls, including 17 for legal assistance which were redirected to police inspectors.

• Provides emergency help, medical aid, and safety support to citizens aged 60+.

• In 2025, received 2,242 calls, including 17 for legal assistance which were redirected to police inspectors.

• Bandham Helpline 9499957575 (since 2024) Specially designed for senior citizens aged 75+. Offers medical, legal, and emotional support. 1,191 calls received in 2025; assistance rendered within 72 hours.

• Specially designed for senior citizens aged 75+.

• Offers medical, legal, and emotional support.

• 1,191 calls received in 2025; assistance rendered within 72 hours.

Significance

• Strengthening Elderly Care – Provides direct, responsive assistance to vulnerable senior citizens, complementing welfare schemes like Maintenance and Welfare of Parents and Senior Citizens Act (2007).

• Policing with Compassion – Moves beyond law enforcement to a citizen-centric, empathetic model of governance.

• Addressing Multiple Needs – Covers legal, health, and emotional dimensions—recognising ageing as a holistic challenge.

• Urban Governance Innovation – Demonstrates how police can partner with civic bodies for integrated service delivery.

• Trust-building Mechanism – Strengthens public trust in institutions by ensuring timely, accountable response.

Broader Implications

• Demographic Transition – With a rising old-age dependency ratio, similar helplines may become essential in other metros.

• Ethical Governance – Aligns with values of compassion, care, and justice under GS-4 ethics themes.

• Replicability – Can inspire replication across India, especially under community policing models.

#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 August 2025 Facts for Prelims (FFP):

Rethinking Homestays: Navigating Policy Pathways Report by NITI Aayog

Source: PIB

Context: NITI Aayog released the report “Rethinking Homestays: Navigating Policy Pathways” on 22 August 2025 in collaboration with IAMAI. The report aims to provide a strategic roadmap for strengthening India’s homestay and BnB sector.

About the Report – “Rethinking Homestays: Navigating Policy Pathways”:

What it is

• It is a policy-oriented document highlighting opportunities and challenges in India’s homestay ecosystem.

• Developed through consultations with policymakers, hosts, and aggregators.

About NITI Aayog

• What it is: National Institution for Transforming India, a policy think-tank of the Government of India.

• Established in: 1 January 2015, replacing the Planning Commission.

• Organisation: Chairperson: Prime Minister of India. Vice-Chairperson: Appointed by PM. Members: Full-time, part-time (experts), and ex-officio (Union Ministers). Governing Council: CM of states and LGs of UTs.

• Chairperson: Prime Minister of India.

• Vice-Chairperson: Appointed by PM.

• Members: Full-time, part-time (experts), and ex-officio (Union Ministers).

• Governing Council: CM of states and LGs of UTs.

• Functions:

• Acts as the premier policy think tank for cooperative federalism.

• Provides strategic and long-term policy frameworks.

• Monitors implementation of development programmes.

• Encourages innovation, entrepreneurship, and technology adoption.

• Coordinates between Centre, States, and global stakeholders.

• Powers: Advisory in nature, but influential in shaping national policies. Plays key role in flagship missions like Aspirational Districts Programme, Atal Innovation Mission, SDG localization.

• Advisory in nature, but influential in shaping national policies.

• Plays key role in flagship missions like Aspirational Districts Programme, Atal Innovation Mission, SDG localization.

Sundarbans Tiger Reserve

Source: DTE

Context: The Sundarbans Tiger Reserve (STR) has become India’s second-largest tiger reserve after the National Board for Wildlife approved West Bengal’s proposal to add 1,044.68 sq km. The reserve now covers 3,629.57 sq km, up from the earlier seventh rank.

About Sundarbans Tiger Reserve

What it is

• The Sundarbans Tiger Reserve is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and part of the world’s largest mangrove ecosystem, located in West Bengal.

• It forms a crucial part of India’s Project Tiger network and is globally renowned for its unique mangrove–tiger ecosystem.

Establishment

• Declared a Tiger Reserve in 1973, under the first phase of Project Tiger.

• Became a Biosphere Reserve in 1989, recognized by UNESCO in 2001.

• Dominated by mangrove vegetation—notably Sundari (Heritiera fomes), Gewa (Excoecaria agallocha), and Golpata (Nypa fruticans).

• Adapted to saline, tidal conditions, with pneumatophores (breathing roots).

• Home to the Royal Bengal Tiger (noted for its ability to swim across estuaries).

• Also shelters estuarine crocodiles, fishing cats, water monitor lizards, olive ridley turtles, spotted deer, and numerous bird species like kingfishers and herons.

• Known for rich aquatic biodiversity—including Hilsa and other fish crucial to local livelihoods.

Unique Features

• Only mangrove habitat of the tiger in the world.

• Shared transboundary ecosystem with Bangladesh Sundarbans Reserve Forest.

• Provides natural barrier against cyclones for coastal West Bengal.

• Rich cultural-human interface with local communities like fisherfolk and honey collectors.

• Declared a Ramsar Wetland Site in 2019, adding global conservation significance.

UN declares famine in Gaza

Source: BBC

Context: The United Nations has declared a famine in Gaza, affecting nearly 500,000 people, citing systematic obstruction of humanitarian aid by Israel.

About Famine Declaration

What it is

• A formal global classification used by the UN and partners to signal catastrophic food insecurity.

• Declared through the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) framework, jointly managed by UN agencies and humanitarian organisations.

Criteria for Declaration

• A famine is declared when all three thresholds are met:

• At least 20% of households face extreme food shortages.

• Acute malnutrition exceeds 30% in children.

• Mortality rate is over 2 deaths per 10,000 people per day.

Procedure for Declaration

• Data collection by humanitarian agencies on food security, nutrition, and mortality.

• Technical review by the IPC Global Support Unit.

• Validation by UN agencies such as FAO, WFP, UNICEF, and OCHA.

• Public declaration made jointly by the UN and IPC to alert the world community.

Significance of Declaration

• Mobilises global attention and urgent humanitarian response.

• Unlocks international funding and aid pledges.

• Provides legal and moral ground for calling ceasefires and securing humanitarian corridors.

• Strengthens pressure on states and armed groups under international humanitarian law.

Countries/Places with Famine Declarations

• Somalia (2011, 2022) – severe drought and conflict.

• South Sudan (2017) – civil war and displacement.

• Yemen (2018–ongoing risk) – conflict-driven blockade.

• Ethiopia’s Tigray (2021) – war-induced famine conditions.

• Sudan (2024) – Sudanese civil war beginning in 2023

• Gaza (2025) – current crisis declared by UN.

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

Source: LM

Context: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) nominated its Executive Director Indranil Bhattacharyya as an ex-officio member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

About Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

What it is

• The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) is a statutory body established to set India’s benchmark policy interest rate (repo rate).

• It ensures that monetary policy decisions are transparent, credible, and data-driven.

Established in

• Formed in 2016 under the provisions of the RBI Act, 1934 (amended in 2016).

• Institutionalised inflation targeting framework in India.

Chaired by

• The Governor of RBI serves as the ex-officio Chairperson of the MPC.

Structure of Organisation

• 6 members in total: 3 members from the RBI (Governor, Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, and one Executive Director). 3 external members nominated by the Central Government.

• 3 members from the RBI (Governor, Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, and one Executive Director).

• 3 external members nominated by the Central Government.

• External members have a four-year term, not eligible for reappointment.

• Decisions are taken by majority vote, with Governor having a casting vote in case of a tie.

Functions

• Fixes the repo rate to achieve the inflation target (currently 4% ± 2%).

• Balances price stability with economic growth.

• Reviews monetary policy bi-monthly (six times a year).

• Anchors inflation expectations to boost investment confidence.

Powers

• Decisions of the MPC are binding on RBI.

• Has authority to adjust monetary policy instruments like repo, reverse repo, CRR, and SLR indirectly.

• Strengthens institutional accountability by publishing minutes and voting patterns of each meeting.

Great Nicobar Project

Source: TH

Context: The Tribal Council of Great Nicobar has complained that the forest rights of Nicobarese tribals under FRA, 2006 have not been settled for the ₹72,000-crore Great Nicobar Project.

About Great Nicobar Project

What it is

• A mega infrastructure project proposed on Great Nicobar Island, Andaman & Nicobar.

• Implemented by NITI Aayog and A&N Administration, with strategic backing from the Government of India.

Started in

• Conceptualised in 2015, formally cleared in 2022 with environmental and forest clearances.

Aims and Objectives

• Enhance India’s maritime security in the Bay of Bengal and Indo-Pacific.

• Boost trade, connectivity, and regional development.

• Create employment opportunities for local population.

• Strengthen India’s presence in global shipping and logistics chains.

Key Features

• Transshipment Port at Galathea Bay to handle international cargo.

• International Airport with dual civil–military use.

• Gas-based Power Plant for energy security.

• Integrated Township with housing and social infrastructure.

• Total 13,000+ hectares of forest land proposed for diversion.

Forest Rights Act (FRA), 2006

• Recognises individual and community rights of Scheduled Tribes and traditional forest dwellers over forest land and produce.

• Rights include habitation, cultivation, grazing, fishing, minor forest produce, and community resource rights.

• Any diversion of forest land for non-forest use requires Gram Sabha consent after rights are settled.

• Empowers local communities to participate in forest governance and conservation.

Protection of Aboriginal Tribes Regulation (PAT), 1956

• Special legislation for safeguarding indigenous tribes of the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

• Provides exclusive rights to land and forest to tribes like Nicobarese, Shompens, and Onges.

• Prohibits outsiders from settling or acquiring land in tribal areas.

• Grants the Administrator of A&N Islands overriding powers to divert forest land for projects in notified areas.

• Creates tension with FRA, 2006 as PAT56 allows diversion without Gram Sabha consent, while FRA mandates settlement of rights first.

#### UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 23 August 2025 Mapping:

Algeria

Source: TH

Context: On 21 August 2025, the Indian Army announced that Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Upendra Dwivedi will visit Algeria next week.

About Algeria:

Location

• North Africa, along the Mediterranean Sea.

• Largest country in Africa by area.

Capital

• Algiers, located on the Mediterranean coast; political and economic hub.

Neighbouring Nations

• Tunisia and Libya (NE), Niger (SE), Mali and Mauritania (S), Western Sahara (SW), Morocco (W).

• Northern coastline borders the Mediterranean Sea.

Key Geographical Features

Mountains & Highlands

• Tell Atlas along the north, parallel to the Mediterranean coast.

• Saharan Atlas further south, merging into the desert.

• Ahaggar (Hoggar) Mountains in southern Algeria; includes Mount Tahat (3,003 m), the highest peak.

Deserts & Plains

• Nearly 80% of Algeria is Sahara Desert—rocky plateaus, sand dunes, and oases.

• M’zab Valley – UNESCO World Heritage site, known for fortified settlements.

• Northern fertile plains (Mitidja Plain) support agriculture.

Rivers & Water Systems

• No permanent rivers; mostly wadis (seasonal rivers).

• Important wadis: Chelif (longest river) and Soummam.

• Reliance on aquifers and oases in desert regions.

Climate

• Mediterranean climate along the north coast (wet winters, dry summers).

• Steppe climate in high plateaus.

• Arid desert climate in the Sahara (extreme diurnal temperatures, scarce rainfall).

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