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Constitutional Amendments

  • Overview: Constitution Amendment is covered in Part 20, Article 368 of the Indian Constitution, adopted from South Africa. As of the lecture, 106 amendment acts have been passed. The 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill, related to One Nation One Election, was recently introduced.
  • 1st Amendment (1951): Added the 9th Schedule, focusing on land reforms.
  • 7th Amendment (1956): Related to the State Reorganisation Commission.
  • 21st Amendment (1967): Added Sindhi as the 15th language to the 8th Schedule.
  • 26th Amendment (1971): Abolished the Privy Purse.
  • 36th Amendment (1975): Granted Sikkim full statehood in India.
  • 42nd Amendment (1976) - "Mini Constitution":
    • Amended the Preamble, adding 'Socialist', 'Secular', and 'Integrity'.
    • Added Part IV A, including Fundamental Duties (Article 51A) based on the Sardar Swaran Singh Committee recommendations.
    • Added Article 39A (Free Legal Aid).
    • Added Article 48A (Environmental and Forest Protection).
    • Added Part XIV A (Tribunals), comprising Articles 323A and 323B.
    • Transferred five subjects (Education, Forests, Protection of Wild Animals and Birds, Weights and Measures, Administration of Justice) from the State List to the Concurrent List.
  • 44th Amendment (1978): Removed the Right to Property from the list of Fundamental Rights, making it a legal right under Article 300A.
  • 52nd Amendment (1985): Added the 10th Schedule, dealing with the Anti-defection Law.
  • 61st Amendment (1989): Reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 years.
  • 69th Amendment (1991): Granted special status to Delhi as the National Capital Region (NCR) and established its Legislative Assembly (Article 239AA). Limited the size of the Council of Ministers in Delhi to 10% of the Assembly's strength.
  • 70th Amendment (1992): Included elected MLAs of Delhi and Puducherry in the Electoral College for Presidential elections.
  • 71st Amendment (1992): Added three new languages (Nepali, Manipuri, Konkani) to the 8th Schedule, increasing the total to 18.
  • 73rd Amendment (1992):
    • Added Part IX (Panchayati Raj).
    • Included Articles 243 to 243O.
    • Added the 11th Schedule, listing 29 subjects for Panchayati Raj institutions.
    • Implemented on April 24, 1993.
  • 74th Amendment (1992):
    • Added Part IX A (Urban Local Bodies).
    • Added the 12th Schedule.
  • 86th Amendment (2002):
    • Introduced Article 21A, making the Right to Education a Fundamental Right.
    • Added the 11th Fundamental Duty (Article 51A(k)).
  • 89th Amendment (2003): Bifurcated Article 338 (National Commission for SC) to create Article 338A, establishing the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST).
  • 91st Amendment (2003): Limited the size of the Council of Ministers at the Centre and in states to 15% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha or State Legislative Assembly, respectively.
  • 92nd Amendment (2003): Added four new languages (Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali) to the 8th Schedule, bringing the total to 22 languages.
  • 97th Amendment (2011): Added Part IX B, dealing with Co-operative Societies, and introduced Article 43B.
  • 99th Amendment (2014): Established the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC), which was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
  • 100th Amendment (2015): Facilitated the Land Boundary Agreement with Bangladesh, including the Tin Bigha Corridor.
  • 101st Amendment (2016): Introduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST), implemented on July 1, 2017.
  • 103rd Amendment (2019): Provided 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS), adding Articles 15(6) and 16(6).
  • 104th Amendment (2019): Extended the reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in the Lok Sabha and State Assemblies for 10 years and abolished the reservation for Anglo-Indians (two seats in Lok Sabha, one in State Assemblies).
  • 105th Amendment (2021): Clarified states' power to identify and specify socially and educationally backward classes for reservation purposes, related to the 102nd Amendment (National Commission for Backward Classes, Article 338B).
  • 106th Amendment (2023): Enacted the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (Women's Reservation Bill), providing 1/3 reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies, to be implemented after delimitation and census.
  • 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill: One Nation One Election (under consideration by the Ram Nath Kovind Committee).

Current Affairs Updates

International Developments

  • China's Solar Thermal Power Plant: China launched the world's first double-tower solar thermal power plant in the Gobi Desert. This plant features two 200-meter towers and 27,000 mirrors for concentrating sunlight. The Gobi Desert, located in China and Mongolia, is a cold, "waterless place."
  • New President of Seychelles: Patrick Harmony has been elected as the new President of Seychelles, representing the United Seychelles Party. Seychelles is an island nation in the Indian Ocean with its capital in Victoria, having gained independence from England in 1976. Madagascar is the largest island in the Indian Ocean. Mauritius, another island nation, has its capital Port Louis and hosts the World Hindi Secretariat.
  • Armenia Joins IUCN: Armenia became the latest member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) during its World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Armenia is a landlocked country in the Caucasus region, with its capital Yerevan. The Nagorno-Karabakh region remains a disputed territory between Armenia and Azerbaijan. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), headquartered in Vienna, Austria, recently added the Maldives as its newest member.
    • Organizational Latest Members:
      • SCO: Belarus
      • NATO: Sweden
      • UNO: South Sudan
  • North Korea's Hwasong-20: North Korea recently tested its powerful Hwasong-20 Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM).
  • Canadian Foreign Minister's Visit: Anita Anand, Canada's Foreign Minister, recently visited India.
  • Tuvalu's Planned Migration: Tuvalu is implementing the world's first planned population migration due to climate change, sending its citizens to Australia.
  • Global Plastic Treaty Negotiations: The INC 5.2 negotiations for a global plastic treaty were held in Geneva but failed.
  • World's First Humanoid Robot Games: China hosted the inaugural World Humanoid Robot Games.
  • AI-Powered Immigration: The UAE (specifically Dubai Airport) initiated the world's first AI-operated immigration system.
  • Eutelsat Partnership: Tata Group's Nelco partnered with France's Eutelsat company to provide OneWeb LEO satellite connectivity in India.

National Developments - India

  • India's First Hypersonic Missile 'Dhvani': DRDO is set to test 'Dhvani', India's first hypersonic missile, which is expected to reach speeds of over 5 Mach (around 6 Mach). It will have a range of 6,000-10,000 km, double that of India's Agni-5 ICBM. The missile utilizes scramjet technology, which uses atmospheric oxygen for combustion.
    • Missile Speed Categories:
      • Subsonic: < 1 Mach (e.g., Nirbhay cruise missile)
      • Supersonic: 1-5 Mach (e.g., BrahMos cruise missile)
      • Hypersonic: > 5 Mach (e.g., Dhvani)
    • DRDO: Established on January 1, 1958, with headquarters in Delhi. Its motto is "Balasya Mulam Vigyanam" (Strength's Origin is Science).
    • Rudram: India's anti-radiation missile.
  • Indian Coast Guard Exercise 'Re-SaReX 2025': The Indian Coast Guard (ICG), established in 1977, conducted the "Regional Search and Rescue Exercise" (Re-SaReX 2025) off the Panambur coast in Karnataka (Arabian Sea).
    • Net Polrex: A pollution control exercise previously held in Chennai.
    • Khanjar Exercise: A joint military exercise between India and Kyrgyzstan.
  • Deepika Padukone - Mental Health Ambassador: On World Mental Health Day (October 10), the Central Health Ministry appointed actress Deepika Padukone as India's first Mental Health Ambassador, recognizing her public stance on battling mental depression.
  • Jasprit Bumrah's Record: Jasprit Bumrah became the first Indian fast bowler to play 50 matches across all three formats (T20, ODI, Test cricket). His 50th Test match was against West Indies at the Arun Jaitley Stadium (formerly Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium) in Delhi.
  • Gujarat - "Urban Development Year": Gujarat declared 2025 as the "Urban Development Year," commemorating 20 years since the launch of the "Suniyojit Nagar Vikas Project" in 2005. Surat city was awarded the "Nirmal Gujarat Award," and October 12 will be celebrated annually as Urban Development Day in Gujarat.
    • Other designaged years for 2025: ISRO's Gaganyaan Year, Peace and Development Year, Cooperative Year, Quantum Technology Year, and Glacier Conservation Year.
  • Green Hydrogen Hubs: Under the National Mission, major ports in Gujarat (Deendayal Port Authority), Tamil Nadu (V.O. Chidambaranar Port Authority), and Odisha (Paradip Port) have been recognized as Green Hydrogen Hubs.
  • Deep Ocean Mission: Under the Samudrayaan Mission, India conducted a record 5000-meter dive in the North Atlantic with French assistance. The mission aims to reach 6000 meters using the 'Matsya' submersible.
  • National Deep-Water Exploration Mission 'Samudra Manthan': This mission aims to explore and identify oil and gas reserves in the sea.
  • New Income Tax Act: A new Income Tax Act is slated for implementation from April 1, 2026, replacing the 1961 act.
  • Semiconductor Projects: The central government approved a budget of ₹4594 crore for four new semiconductor projects in Odisha, Punjab, and Andhra Pradesh.
  • Drone AI-Based Artificial Rain: India's first drone AI-based artificial rain experiment was conducted in Rajasthan but was unsuccessful.
  • International Architecture Award: Gopinath Bordoloi Airport in Guwahati, Assam, received an International Architecture Award.
  • BEML Limited: BEML Limited secured its first foreign rail metro contract from Malaysia.
  • Multi-Storey Flats for MPs: New multi-storey flats for MPs in New Delhi were inaugurated and named after Indian rivers (Krishna, Godavari, Hooghly, Kosi).
  • VinFast Plant: Vietnam's EV manufacturer VinFast established its first plant in India, located in Tamil Nadu.
  • Justice Yashwant Verma Investigation: The Lok Sabha Speaker formed a three-member committee to investigate corruption charges against Justice Yashwant Verma (formerly of Delhi HC, then Allahabad HC).
  • PM Vishwakarma Yojana: The scheme received a budget of approximately ₹1 lakh crore.
  • S&P Rating Upgrade: S&P upgraded India's credit rating from BB- to BBB Stable after 18 years.
  • Sudharshan Chakra Mission: Prime Minister Modi announced this mission from the Red Fort on August 15, focusing on using indigenous technology for securing vital installations.
  • CP Radhakrishnan: Former Governor of Maharashtra and an NDA candidate for the Vice President's election.
  • Indian Film Festival of Melbourne 2025: The film "Homebound" won the Best Film award and was India's entry to the Oscars.
  • Indian Higher Education Commission: Announced the merger of UGC, AICTE, and NCTE.
  • Banaras Locomotives: Became the first to install removable solar panels on railway tracks.

Other Mentions (Mostly for Revision/Context)

  • AU Small Finance Bank: Received RBI approval to become a universal bank.
  • Sikkim Initiatives: Launched "Ama Samman Diwas", "Nari Adalat", "Ama Suvidha Ghar", and "Ama Sashaktikaran Yojana" as Sikkim celebrates 50 years of statehood (established 1975).
  • Asian Surfing Championship: Ramesh Budhial was the first Indian male to win a medal in the Open category at the championship held in Tamil Nadu.
  • "Why the Constitution Matters": A book by Justice D.Y. Chandrachud.
  • Garudadarshi Technology: Launched by Maharashtra to detect social media fraud activities.
  • International Girl Child Day: October 11. The Beijing Declaration is a significant document for global gender equality. National Girl Child Day is celebrated on January 24.
  • World Migratory Bird Day: Celebrated twice annually on the second Saturday of May (May 10 this year) and October (October 11 this year).
  • October Day Observances:
    • Coffee Day: October 1
    • World Teachers' Day: October 5
    • Cotton Day: October 7
    • Air Force Day: October 8 (celebrated at Hindon Airbase, Ghaziabad this year)
    • World Post Day: October 9
    • Mental Health Day: October 10
  • International Council on Mining and Metals: Hindustan Zinc Limited became the first Indian company to join.
  • ICC Men's Player of the Month (July 2025): Shubman Gill.
  • Integrated Multi-State Mock Drill 'Suraksha Chakra': Held in Delhi NCR.
  • Dardanelles Strait: Temporarily closed in Turkey due to forest fires.
  • 89th Independence Day: Celebrated on August 15.
  • ISRO's Pasang Wangchuk Sona (Space Lab): Launched in Andhra Pradesh.
  • Maharashtra Postal Circle: Released pictorial postcards and a presentation pack during the golden jubilee celebrations of the film 'Sholay'.
  • Asian Open Short Track Speed Skating Trophy: India hosted it for the first time in Uttarakhand.
  • 89th Chess Grandmaster: Rohit Krishna. The 88th Grandmaster was Divya Deshmukh.
  • Manika Vishwakarma: From Rajasthan's Ganganagar, won Miss Universe India 2025.
  • Carlos Alcaraz: Won the Cincinnati Open 2025 Men's Singles title.
  • Bhavina Patel: Indian table tennis player, won gold and silver in the ITTF World Para Table Tennis event in the USA.
  • Sachin Tendulkar: Launched his shoe brand "10XU".
  • Sheri Singh: First Indian to win the "Misses Universe" title (at the 48th edition in Manila, Philippines).