Must-Know UPSC Current Affairs: Key News Summaries and Daily Updates for Civil Services

Here’s your daily dose of essential updates for the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) preparation — a quick rundown of the latest happenings across national, international, business, environment, and defence sectors that matter for both Prelims and Mains. These summaries combine facts with background context so that aspirants can understand issues deeply instead of just memorising headlines.

I’m sharing this because staying consistently updated is one of the biggest game-changers in Civil Services preparation. It’s not enough to know that something happened — what really matters is why it happened, how it links to the syllabus, and what its implications are for governance, policy, or society. These daily news notes help bridge that gap, enabling aspirants to connect events with concepts and write stronger, well-analysed answers in the exam.

National Affairs

India–Nepal Cross-Border Energy Agreement

India and Nepal have signed two key agreements to build 400 kV cross-border transmission lines to boost electricity trade and strengthen energy cooperation.
Why it matters: This move not only promotes regional energy security but also reinforces diplomatic relations. It directly connects with topics like energy, regional cooperation, and India’s neighbourhood policy.

KOYLA SHAKTI Dashboard and CLAMP Portal

The government has launched the KOYLA SHAKTI dashboard and the Coal Land Management Portal (CLAMP) to bring more transparency to coal logistics and mining operations.
Why it matters: These digital initiatives show India’s efforts to modernise resource management and improve governance — key areas covered in the GS Paper III Economy and Governance section.

India–China Border Dialogue Continues

India and China reaffirmed their commitment to resolving border issues through existing diplomatic mechanisms, following earlier agreements to reduce tensions along the Line of Actual Control.
Why it matters: This has direct relevance for international relations, strategic studies, and geography in GS Paper II and Paper I.

International Developments

India Reopens Full Embassy in Kabul

India has reopened its full-fledged embassy in Kabul, upgrading it from a technical mission. This marks a major shift in its engagement with Afghanistan after a four-year pause.
Why it matters: This is a significant foreign policy step showing India’s long-term strategy in the region, especially concerning security and humanitarian engagement.

UN Adaptation Gap Report Highlights Finance Shortfall

The latest UN Adaptation Gap Report reveals a massive shortfall in climate finance for developing nations — only a fraction of the funds required are currently available.
Why it matters: This is vital for GS Paper III on environment and climate change. It also connects to issues like sustainable development and international cooperation.

Economy and Business

Industrial Growth Slows to Five-Year Low

India’s industrial growth rate slipped to around 4 % in September 2025, its lowest in five years. Experts point to weak demand and global uncertainties as major reasons.
Why it matters: Industrial data is crucial for understanding economic trends, employment patterns, and policy responses — core areas in GS Paper III.

Tech Sector Sees Global Growth

Major technology companies across the world, including Indian IT firms, reported steady growth despite economic challenges, driven by demand for cloud services and digital solutions.
Why it matters: Technology-driven growth connects to innovation, digital governance, and economic resilience — frequent themes in UPSC questions.

Defence and Security

India Criticises UN Over Inaction on Terror

India’s foreign minister has strongly criticised the United Nations for its weak response to terrorism, calling out the lack of concrete global action after recent attacks.
Why it matters: This issue is highly relevant for GS Paper II, especially under international organisations and counter-terrorism policies.

China Lifts Rare-Earth Export Curbs

China has temporarily lifted export restrictions on certain rare-earth materials, impacting global supply chains and strategic industries.
Why it matters: Rare-earth resources are crucial for electronics, defence, and clean energy. This development links to economy, international relations, and security issues in the syllabus.

How to Use These Summaries in Your UPSC Preparation

Connect the news with the syllabus: Always identify which GS paper or topic the issue belongs to.
Focus on causes and effects: Don’t just learn facts — analyse why something happened and its possible outcomes.
Create short notes: Summarise each issue in your own words for easy recall during revision.
Practice writing: Turn one or two news points into short analytical answers to improve your writing skills.

UPSC ESE (Main) 2022 Cut-off Marks Released – Download Official PDF for All Engineering Branches

The Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) has released the official cut-off marks for the Engineering Services (Main) Examination, 2022. This much-awaited release provides the minimum qualifying marks required for candidates to move from the written examination to the interview stage, as well as the final cut-off after the personality test. Candidates who appeared in the exam or are preparing for future sessions can now download the PDF from the official UPSC website.

I’m writing about this because cut-off marks are not just numbers; they are valuable indicators of competition and performance standards. For aspirants of UPSC Engineering Services (ESE) 2025 or later, the 2022 cut-off data serves as a benchmark to assess how tough the exam can be and how marks are distributed across disciplines. Understanding these marks helps candidates plan better, focus on high-scoring subjects, and align their preparation with the expected level of difficulty. Knowing how previous years’ cut-offs have moved also gives insight into the overall trend of the examination process.

Overview of the UPSC Engineering Services Examination

The Engineering Services Examination (ESE) is one of the most prestigious exams conducted by UPSC for recruiting engineers into various government departments such as Railways, CPWD, MES, and CWC. The selection process includes three stages:

Preliminary Examination
Main Examination
Personality Test (Interview)

Candidates from four major engineering disciplines — Civil, Mechanical, Electrical, and Electronics & Telecommunication — compete in this national-level exam.

The written papers test both technical and general engineering knowledge, while the interview assesses practical understanding and decision-making ability. The final merit list is based on the total marks obtained in the Mains and Interview combined.

Stages of Cut-off Marks

UPSC releases three sets of cut-off marks for ESE every year:

Preliminary Examination Cut-off: Minimum marks needed to qualify for the Mains
Main Examination Cut-off: Minimum marks required to qualify for the Interview
Final Cut-off (Written + Personality Test): Marks needed to be included in the final merit list

Each discipline and category (General, OBC, SC, ST, EWS) has different cut-offs depending on factors like paper difficulty, number of vacancies, and overall candidate performance.