Top 20 UPSC Current Affairs Pointers of the past week | October

Key Economic Indicators

According to the World Bank, extreme poverty in India decreased to 2.6% in 2023. Wage disparity remains significant, with the top 10% earning approximately 13 times more than the bottom 10%.

Poverty Concentration

Approximately 57% of India’s poor population resides in a belt stretching from Uttar Pradesh to West Bengal. The extreme poverty rate fell to 5.3% in 2022-23, representing a halving of the 2011 rate of 27.1%.

Consumption Inequality

The Gini index, a measure of income inequality, decreased to 23.0 in 2023, down from 28.8 in 2011-12 and 25.5 in 2022-23.

Kumbh Mela at Nashik-Trimbakeshwar

The President, Droupadi Murmu, attended the Dhawaja Pujan, Dhwaj Stambh Pujan, and Dhwajarohan ceremony of the Simhastha Maha Kumbh at Nashik, Maharashtra. The Nashik congregation is part of the 12-year cycle and is associated with Jupiter’s entry into Leo.

Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Civilisational Dialogue

India invited Pakistan’s National Heritage and Culture Minister Aurangzeb Khan Khichi to the SCO Civilisational Dialogue Forum in New Delhi. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced India’s hosting of the event, aiming to strengthen people-to-people ties and cultural engagement.

BRICS Parliamentary Forum

The 12th BRICS Parliamentary Forum concluded in New Delhi with the adoption of a Joint Declaration. The declaration reaffirmed member nations’ commitment to UN Charter principles, sovereign equality, and peaceful dispute resolution. China will assume the BRICS chair for 2027.

Kerala’s Senior Citizens (Care and Protection of Rights) Bill

The Kerala Legislative Assembly passed the Senior Citizens (Care and Protection of Rights) Bill, 2026, India’s first state-level legal framework for elder welfare. The bill prioritizes home-based care and recognizes a senior citizen’s ability to live independently, with institutional care as a last resort. It also includes provisions for a living will.

Narcotics Control Bureau Operation

The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) conducted “Operation Trident” across Assam, Mizoram, and Manipur, raiding 38 locations to dismantle transnational narco-financial syndicates. The operation aims to eradicate drug networks by December 31, 2029.

Source: The Indian Express. Featured image credit: The Indian Express.