UPSC Current Affairs – News Summary of 5 September 2025

News Summary · Published on September 5, 2025 · 7 minutes read

Prime Minister of Singapore, Lawrence Wong, with Indian President Droupadi Murmu in New Delhi on 4 September 2025 | Image – X/@LawrenceWongST

Stay ahead in your UPSC CSE prep with our daily News Summary. Designed to save time, it highlights key national and international events from leading newspapers and government websites.

Centre and Manipur ink tripartite peace pact with Kuki-Zo insurgent groups

• Union Home Ministry, Manipur govt, and 24 Kuki-Zo insurgent groups signed a revised tripartite Suspension of Operations (SoO) Agreement on 4 September 2025.
• The SoO pact was first signed between the Centre, Manipur govt, Kuki National Organisation (KNO) and United People’s Front (UPF) in 2008 → renewed every year until Feb 28, 2024 when the renewal stopped by the Centre following allegations of SoO group cadres indulging in Manipur’s ethnic clashes.
• The revised rules emphasize territorial integrity of Manipur and relocation of camps run by insurgent groups → mention political settlement within Indian Constitution.
• 2008 SoO pact provided for a stipend to the cadres of the KNO and UPF, which was stopped since ethnic violence erupted in the State in 2023 → revised pact says stipend will be paid only through Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.

IIT Madras tops India Rankings 2025 for seventh consecutive year

• The India Rankings 2025 is based on nine categories and eight subject domains.
• India Rankings 2025 implements the National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) drafted by the Ministry of Education in 2015.
• The first edition of India Rankings was released in 2016.
• Five broad parameters identified in the NIRF and their weightage are given below:

• Top institutions in India Rankings 2025 across different Categories / Subject Domains are given below:
  1. Overall: IIT Madras
  2. Universities: IISc, Bengaluru
  3. Colleges: Hindu College, Delhi
  4. Research Institutions: IISc, Bengaluru
  5. Innovation Institutions: IIT Madras
  6. Open Universities: IGNOU, New Delhi
  7. Skill Universities: Symbiosis Skills and Professional University, Pune
  8. State Public Universities: Jadavpur University, Kolkata
  9. SDGs Institutions: IIT Madras
  10. Engineering: IIT Madras
  11. Management: IIM Ahmedabad
  12. Pharmacy: Jamia Hamdard, New Delhi
  13. Medical: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
  14. Dental: All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), New Delhi
  15. Law: The National Law School of India University, Bengaluru
  16. Architecture and Planning: IIT Roorkee
  17. Agriculture and Allied Sectors: Indian Agricultural Research Institute, New Delhi

• Top 10 institutes in India Rankings 2025 in the overall category are as follows:

India’s Crude Birth Rate (CBR) declines to 18.4, says SRS 2023

• The Sample Registration System (SRS) 2023 Bulletin was released on September 3, 2025 by the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India (ORGI).
• SRS is the largest demographic survey in India, providing annual estimates of birth rate, death rate, infant mortality rate, and other fertility and mortality indicators at the State and National levels.
• SRS 2023 contains data on fertility and mortality indicators for the year 2023 for India and bigger States/UTs.
• Key highlights of the SRS 2023 are listed in the following table:

• All States with TFR higher than replacement level are in northern India → Bihar (2.8), Uttar Pradesh (2.6), Madhya Pradesh (2.4), Rajasthan (2.3), and Chhattisgarh (2.2).

• Important definitions:
  • Crude Birth Rate (CBR): number of live births per 1,000 population in a given year.
  • Crude Death Rate (CDR): number of deaths occurring during a given year per 1,000 population estimated at mid-year.
  • Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births in a given year. 
  • Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR): number of deaths of children under five years of age per 1,000 live births in a given year. 
  • Total Fertility Rate (TFR): average number of children a woman would have during her entire reproductive life.
  • Replacement level TFR: average number of children a woman needs to have over her lifetime to exactly replace the population from one generation to the next without population growth or decline (assuming mortality rates remain constant and there is no net migration) → approximately 2.1 children per woman.

Environment Audit Rules 2025 establish independent class of environmental auditors

• Recently, Environment Ministry has authorised the creation of a new, independent class of “environment auditors” under the Environment Audit Rules, 2025.
• Private agencies can also get themselves accredited as environment auditors.
• Environmental audit is presently supported by the CPCB, Regional Offices of the Ministry, and the State PCBs → facing constraints in terms of manpower, resources, capacity, and infrastructure → creation of new independent class of environment auditors shall bridge these deficits.
• Audits undertaken can be used for compliance with Green Credit Rules, under which individuals/organisations can gain tradeable credits for green activities.

NITI Aayog suggests strategies to increase pulses production

• NITI Aayog has released the “Strategies and Pathways for Accelerating Growth in Pulses towards the Goal of Atmanirbharta” report → suggested agricultural strategies to address specific constraints faced by each State and its districts to ensure balanced and sustainable growth in national pulse production.
• India produced 26.06 million tonnes of pulses in 2022–23, with an import dependency of 10.4%.
• India’s agro-climatic conditions enable the cultivation of 12 pulse crops across kharif, rabi, and summer seasons.
• Pulse production in India is mainly concentrated in certain regions, with MP, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan accounting for 55%.
• Nearly 80% of pulse production in India is dependent on rain-fed areas.
• India is the largest producer, consumer, and importer of pulses globally.

56th GST Council meeting approves a simplified two-slab GST structure

• The 56th meeting of the GST Council was held on September 3-4, 2025, in New Delhi → approved Next-Gen GST reforms proposed by the Centre and announced by the PM Modi on 15 August 2025.
• Expected to benefit the farmers, MSMEs, women, youth, and middle-class families, and strengthen India’s long-term growth.
• Key highlights:
  • GST simplified to a two-slab structure (5% & 18%) → removes the earlier 12% and 28% rates.
  • GST reforms cut taxes on household essentials (soaps, toothpaste, Indian breads) to 5% or  Nil boosting affordability
  • Life-saving drugs, medicines reduced from 12% to Nil or 5% making healthcare affordable
  • Two-wheelers, small cars, TVs, ACs, cement cut from 28% to 18% bringing relief to middle-class.
  • Farm machinery, irrigation equipment cut from 12% to 5%, reducing farming costs
  • Tobacco, pan masala, aerated drinks, and luxury goods are taxed at 40%.
• The revised rates and exemptions will come into effect from 22nd September 2025 → exceptions: cigarettes, chewing tobacco products like zarda, unmanufactured tobacco and beedi (for these items, new rates will be implemented at a later date to be notified).

India and Singapore sign five agreements 

• Agreements on Civil Aviation, Space, Skill Development, Digital asset innovation and Green and Digital shipping corridor were signed.
• Singapore is India’s largest trade partner in South-East Asia, and it is an important pillar of India’s Act East Policy.
• Singapore acknowledged India’s interest in the Malacca Straits Patrol with appreciation.
• PM Modi and Singapore PM Lawrence Wong virtually inaugurated the JN Port PSA Mumbai Terminal (BMCT) Phase II.

Miscellaneous

1. India’s organic food market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 20.13% to $10.81 billion by 2033.
2. Ghaggar River: an intermittent/seasonal river, flowing through Himachal Pradesh (originates in the Shivalik Hills), Punjab, Haryana, and Rajasthan → enters the Ottu barrage/reservoir near Sirsa (Haryana) → loses volume after Ottu and vanishes in the Thar Desert region of Rajasthan → dried riverbed channel continues into Pakistan as Hakra River.
3. Malale River: Nigeria
4. Nepal told China that Lipulekh is Nepali territory and opposed the recent India-China border trade agreement via Lipulekh Pass → In 2020, Nepal released a map claiming an Indian territory that includes Lipulekh, Limpiyadhura, and Kalapani.

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