Constitutional Amendments in India

• Constitutional Amendment Process:
  • Mentioned in Part 20 of the Constitution.
  • Borrowed from the South African Constitution.
  • Article 368 governs amendments.
  • To date, 106 constitutional amendment acts have been passed.
  • The 129th Constitutional Amendment Bill (One Nation One Election) was recently introduced.
• Key Amendments:
  • 1st Amendment (1951): Added Schedule 9 (land reforms). Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru was PM.
  • 7th Amendment (1956): Related to the States Reorganisation Commission.
  • 21st Amendment (1967): Added Sindhi as the 15th language to Schedule 8.
  • 26th Amendment (1971): Abolished Privy Purses for former rulers (during Indira Gandhi's tenure).
  • 36th Amendment (1975): Granted full statehood to Sikkim.
  • 42nd Amendment (1976) - "Mini Constitution":
    • Amended the Preamble for the first time, adding "Socialist," "Secular" (Panch Nirpekhta), and "Integrity."
    • Added Part 4A (Fundamental Duties) based on the Sardar Swaran Singh Committee (Article 51A).
    • Added Article 39A (Free Legal Aid).
    • Added Article 48A (Environmental and Forest Protection).
    • Added Part 14A (Tribunals) with Articles 323A and 323B.
    • Transferred five subjects (Education, Forests, Wildlife, Weights & 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 Schedule 10 (Anti-defection Law). Rajiv Gandhi was PM.
  • 61st Amendment (1989): Reduced the voting age from 21 to 18 years. Rajiv Gandhi was PM.
  • 69th Amendment (1991): Granted Special Status to Delhi (National Capital Region - NCR) and provisions for its Legislative Assembly (e.g., 10% limit on council of ministers).
  • 70th Amendment (1992): Included elected MLAs of Delhi and Puducherry in the Electoral College for the Presidential election.
  • 71st Amendment (1992): Added three new languages (Nepali, Manipuri, Konkani) to Schedule 8, bringing the total to 18.
  • 73rd Amendment (1992): Added Part 9 (Panchayati Raj), Articles 243-243O, and Schedule 11 (29 subjects for Panchayats). Implemented on April 24, 1993.
  • 74th Amendment (1992): Added Part 9A (Urban Local Bodies) and Schedule 12.
  • 86th Amendment (2002): Added Article 21A (Right to Education as a Fundamental Right) and the 11th Fundamental Duty (Article 51A(k)).
  • 89th Amendment (2003): Created the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) by bifurcating Article 338 and creating Article 338A.
  • 91st Amendment (2003): Limited the size of the Council of Ministers to 15% of the total strength of the Lok Sabha (at the Centre) and the State Legislative Assembly (in states).
  • 92nd Amendment (2003): Added four new languages (Bodo, Dogri, Maithili, Santhali) to Schedule 8, bringing the total to 22.
  • 97th Amendment (2011): Added Part 9B (Cooperative Societies) and Article 43B.
  • 99th Amendment (2014): Established the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC). Later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.
  • 100th Amendment (2015): Implemented the India-Bangladesh Land Boundary Agreement (Tin Bigha Corridor).
  • 101st Amendment (2016): Introduced Goods and Services Tax (GST), effective July 1, 2017.
  • 103rd Amendment (2019): Provided 10% reservation for Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) by introducing Articles 15(6) and 16(6).
  • 104th Amendment (2019): Extended the reservation for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies by 10 years and abolished the reservation for Anglo-Indians.
  • 105th Amendment (2021): Restored the power of states to identify and specify socially and educationally backward classes. (Following 102nd Amendment which introduced NCBC under Article 338B).
  • 106th Amendment (2023): "Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam," providing women's reservation in Lok Sabha and State Assemblies (to be implemented after delimitation and census).

UNESCO Creative City Network

• Lucknow: Designated as a Creative City in the "Gastronomy" (Pak Kala) category.
• Significance: Lucknow is the second Indian city in this category after Hyderabad.
• Conference: The announcement was made during the 43rd session of the UNESCO General Conference in Uzbekistan.
• Total Indian Cities: India now has nine cities in the UNESCO Creative City Network.
  • Crafts: Jaipur
  • Film: Mumbai
  • Music: Srinagar, Chennai, Gwalior, Varanasi
  • Literature: Kozhikode
  • Gastronomy: Hyderabad, Lucknow
• Other UNESCO Recognitions (India):
  • Biosphere Reserve Network: Cold Desert (Himachal Pradesh).
  • Intangible Cultural Heritage: Garba dance (15th entry).
  • World Heritage Sites (Latest): Maratha Military Landscapes (44th site), including forts in Maharashtra and one in Tamil Nadu.
  • World Heritage Cities: Ahmedabad (2017), Jaipur (2019).

ISRO Satellite Launch

• Satellite: CMS-03 (also known as GSAT-7R).
• Launch Vehicle: LVM3-M5 (fifth variant of LVM3 rocket).
• Launch Site: Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh.
• Significance: India's heaviest communication satellite, weighing 4410 kg. First time ISRO launched a satellite over 4000 kg.
• Purpose: Communication for the Navy.
• Bands: Uses C-band, Extended C-band, and Ku-band.
• Orbit: Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO).
• Previous LVM3 Launch: Chandrayaan-3.

Asian Youth Games 2025

• Host: Manama, Bahrain.
• India's Performance:
  • Rank: 6th.
  • Total Medals: 48 (13 Gold, 18 Silver, 17 Bronze).
  • Athletes: 222.
• Top Rank: China (147 medals).
• History: Third edition of the games (previously in 2009 in Singapore and 2013 in China).

90th Chess Grandmaster of India

• New Grandmaster: Ilamparti AR (16 years old) from Tamil Nadu.
• Previous Grandmasters:
  • First: Viswanathan Anand.
  • 88th: Divya Deshmukh (Tamil Nadu).
  • 89th: Rohit Krishna (Tamil Nadu).
• FIDE Chess World Cup: The trophy is now named "Viswanathan Anand Trophy." India will host it in Goa in 2025.

Cryptocurrency as Property

• Ruling: Madras High Court declared cryptocurrency as "property" in the Ritu Kumari case.
• Judge: Justice Dr. Anand Venkatesh.
• Basis: Income Tax Act of 1961 (Section 2(47A)), stating cryptocurrency can be held in "trust, possession, and ownership."
• Nature: Considered virtual currency, not tangible.
• Technology: Operates on blockchain technology.
• Example: Bitcoin (discovered by Satoshi Nakamoto).
• Note: El Salvador was the first country to recognize cryptocurrency, but not specifically as "property" in the same legal context.

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit 2025

• Host: Gwangju, South Korea.
• Purpose: Address trade wars (e.g., between China and USA), promote beneficial resolutions for all.
• Previous Summit: 2024 summit held in Peru.
• APEC Details:
  • Full Form: Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation.
  • Established: 1989.
  • Secretariat: Singapore.
  • Member Countries: 21.
  • India's Status: Observer state, not a full member.
• Other Summits: ASEAN and East Asia Summit recently held in Malaysia.

Naval Appointments

• Vice Admiral V Shiv Kumar: Appointed 40th Chief of Material.
• Ankathi Raju: Appointed Director of DRDO Hyderabad Lab.
• Shri Vishwajit Sahay: Appointed Controller General of Defence Accounts.

Chhattisgarh New Assembly Building

• Inauguration: Prime Minister Modi inaugurated the new Assembly Building in Raipur, Chhattisgarh.
• State Formation: Chhattisgarh was formed on November 1, 2000, as the 26th state of India. (First CM: Ajit Jogi).
• Assembly Seats: 90 (new building capacity 120).
• Other Inaugurations:
  • Statue of Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
  • "Shanti Shikhar" (peace peak) of the Brahma Kumaris institution in Nava Raipur (center for spirituality, meditation).
• Tiger Reserve: Guru Ghasidas National Park and Tamor Pingla Wildlife Sanctuary together form the 56th Tiger Reserve of India.

Rohan Bopanna's Retirement

• Sport: Tennis.
• Retirement: Announced retirement at 45 years old after a two-decade international career.
• Achievements: Won 26 ATP doubles titles.
• 2024 Australian Open: Won the men's doubles title with Matthew Ebden.
• Record: Became the oldest player (at 43) to achieve the world number one ranking in men's doubles.
• Other Retirements: Kane Williamson (New Zealand cricketer) retired from T20 format.

ICC Women's World Cup 2025

• Hosts: India and Sri Lanka (matches with Pakistan were held in Sri Lanka).
• India's Hosting History: Fourth time hosting (previously 1978, 1997, 2013).
• Edition: 13th edition of the tournament.
• First World Cup: 1973 (won by England).
• Most Wins: Australia (7 times).
• Final Match:
  • Date: November 2.
  • Venue: DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai.
  • Teams: India vs. South Africa.
  • Result: India won their first-ever ICC Women's World Cup title by defeating South Africa.
  • India Captain: Harmanpreet Kaur.
  • South Africa Captain: Laura Wolvaardt (first woman to score a century in a World Cup final).
  • Player of the Tournament: Deepti Sharma (India) - took 22 wickets in the tournament.
  • Player of the Match (Final): Shafali Verma (India) - contributed with runs and crucial wickets.
  • Prize Money for Winners: Approximately ₹37.3 crore (4.48 million USD).
• Opening Match: Held in Guwahati.
• Anthem Song: "Bring it Home."

"Swasth Nari Swasth Parivar" Campaign

• Initiative: Central Government's campaign.
• Guinness World Records: Achieved three Guinness World Records:
  1. Highest number of registrations for health checkups in a month.
  2. Highest number of online breast cancer screenings in a week.
  3. Highest number of online vital signs checkups in a week.
• Launch: Started on October 2 during Poshan Maah (Nutrition Month).

Other Current Affairs

• Defense Framework: India and USA signed a 10-year defense framework agreement.
• Ayni Airbase: India ceased operations at Ayni Airbase in Tajikistan.
• Pilot Project: DoT's "Samriddh Gram Bhautik Sevaein" pilot project launched in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh.
• Green Tax: Uttarakhand will impose a green tax on vehicles entering from other states starting December 2025.
• Dictionary.com Word of the Year: "Authenticity" (not 67 as mentioned in transcript).
• World Cities Day: Celebrated annually on October 31.
• Clash Chess 2025: Title won by Magnus Carlsen.
• FDI in FY25: According to RBI, USA is the top contributor to India's Foreign Direct Investment.
• Smart Crop Initiative: Launched by SBI Foundation and ICRISAT in Telangana and Karnataka.
• Asian Open Short Track Speed Skating Trophy: India hosted it for the first time in Uttarakhand.
• International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction: Celebrated on October 13.
• First Semiconductor Innovation Museum: Inaugurated in Hyderabad.
• Filmfare Award 2025 (Best Film): Awarded to "Laapataa Ladies."
• Nobel Peace Prize 2025 (Correction: 2021 was for Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov; 2025 is future): Lecturer mentions a mnemonic for Economics Nobel Prize: Philip, Peter, Joel (for Philip Dybvig, Peter Diamond, Douglas Diamond for 2022 Economics Nobel).
• Wildlife Protection (Amendment) Act 1972: Kerala is the first state to amend it.
• Spark 4.0 Campaign: Launched by AYUSH Ministry.
• World Mental Health Day: October 10.
• Nobel Peace Prize (2025): Mnemonic given by lecturer: "corona me marna" points to Maria Ressa (2021 laureate, not 2025).
• APEC Summit 2025: Held in Gwangju, South Korea.
• Dual Tower Solar Thermal Power Plant: China launched it in the Gobi Desert.
• New President of Seychelles: Patrick Herminie.
• World Migratory Bird Day: Celebrated twice a year; in October, it's the second Saturday (October 11 mentioned).
• India's First Hypersonic Missile: Dhwani (speed greater than Mach 5).
• IUCN Latest Members: Armenia and Tuvalu.
• Pipprawa Buddha Relics Exhibition: First-time exhibition in Kalmykia, Russia.
• Resarex (Regional Search and Rescue Exercise): Indian Coast Guard conducted it in Karnataka.
• First Mental Health Ambassador of India: Deepika Padukone.
• Durand Line Conflict: Between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• WHO South-East Asia Regional Committee (78th Session): Held in Colombo, Sri Lanka.