Daily Current Affairs - 19th September 2025

Preparing for UPSC 2026 or State PCS? This 19th September 2025 edition compiles exam-critical current affairs with GS linkages, Prelims-ready facts, and Mains triggers. Coverage spans Polity & Governance, Economy, Defence & Security, International Relations, UN Reforms, Science & Tech, Environment, and Social Justice—crafted to sharpen both Prelims recall and Mains analysis.

In today’s sheet, unpack the CJI’s blueprint for inclusive justice—link to Article 14, Article 21, Article 39A, judicial backlog, e-courts, and Lok Adalats. Track the Pakistan–Saudi Arabia Strategic Defence Pact—tie to West Asian security, nuclear umbrella, India–Saudi trade (USD 42.98 bn), and energy diplomacy. Decode the UN Chief’s UN80 reforms report—spotlight on peace & security realignments, UNDP–UNOPS merger, and pooled funding shifts.

On the social front, mark 20 years of the PWDV Act—connect to NCRB data (4.45 lakh cases in 2022), legal aid, shelter homes, and challenges in implementation. In environment, note WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2024—glacier losses, river instability, and climate-driven water cycle changes.

Science & Tech watch: from India’s AI Impact Summit 2026 (People, Planet, Progress Sutras & 7 Chakras) to DeepSeek-R1 using Reinforcement Learning for LLM reasoning. Maritime security gets a boost with Project Swayat—India’s first indigenous MASS ship, while Vanakbara, Karaikal & Jakhau are picked for FAO’s Smart Fishing Harbours initiative.

On the economic side, track MOIL’s low-grade manganese exports for forex earnings, and the Advance Authorisation Scheme (AAS) misuse allegations flagged by IMCOM. Finally, celebrate Puducherry achieving zero maternal mortality, a milestone in India’s health journey towards SDG 3.1 (MMR <70).

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Chief Justice Highlights Barriers to Accessing Justice and Proposes Reforms for Inclusivity

1. The Chief Justice recently addressed the barriers faced by marginalised and vulnerable citizens in accessing justice.

   • Access to justice means the ability of a State to ensure every person can obtain judicial redress—a legal remedy—in a fair, equal, and speedy manner.

2. The Indian Constitution guarantees the right to access justice under Article 14 (Right to Equality), Article 21 (Right to Life and Personal Liberty), and Article 39A (Directive for providing free legal aid).

3. Several barriers hinder access to justice, starting with geographical barriers, where courts and law schools are physically distant from rural and remote areas.

   • Linguistic barriers arise because legal education and court proceedings are predominantly conducted in English, which many citizens may not understand.

   • Economic barriers include the high cost of legal education and expensive litigation, which prevent poor citizens from seeking justice.

   • Social barriers such as the entrenched caste system, widespread illiteracy, and lack of legal awareness further restrict access to justice.

4. Other significant challenges include the digital divide, which refers to unequal access to technology, and lack of adequate physical infrastructure.

   • For example, there are over 4.6 crore (46 million) cases pending in lower courts, indicating severe judicial backlog.

5. To address these issues, institutional initiatives have been launched, such as the National Mission for Justice Delivery and Legal Reforms, which aims to improve access and enhance accountability through structural changes.

6. The Legal Services Authorities Act, 1987 established bodies like the National Legal Services Authority, State Legal Services Authorities, and Lok Adalats (people’s courts) to provide free legal aid and alternative dispute resolution.

7. The E-Courts Mission Mode Project is another initiative focused on the digitization of courts to speed up and simplify judicial processes.

8. Looking ahead, promoting linguistic inclusivity by conducting legal education and court proceedings in regional languages is crucial.

9. Reforming legal education through financial support such as scholarships, stipends, and fee waivers can reduce economic barriers.

10. Enhancing regional and local access involves establishing more courts, law schools, and legal aid clinics closer to underserved populations.

11. Integrating technology into the justice delivery system can help bridge gaps and improve access, especially for remote and vulnerable citizens.

Pakistan-Saudi Arabia Strategic Defence Pact and Its Regional Implications

1. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia recently signed a Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement aimed at enhancing defence cooperation between the two countries.

2. The agreement includes a key clause stating that any aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both, reinforcing joint deterrence.

3. Regarding regional security, the pact strengthens Saudi Arabia’s defences against threats from Iran, Yemen’s Houthi militias, and Israel.

4. The agreement raises concerns about nuclear warfare in the region, as Pakistan is seen to extend its nuclear umbrella—meaning nuclear protection or deterrence—to Saudi Arabia.

5. This development adds tension to the already volatile security environment in West Asia, also known as the Middle East.

6. The pact signals a shift in regional power dynamics, indicating a move away from the traditional role of the United States as the primary security guarantor.

7. This shift is influenced by the US ally Israel’s war on Gaza and its military strikes on neighboring countries.

8. The reduced US influence could create a strategic vacuum, providing an opportunity for China to increase its influence and clout in the region.

9. For India, the agreement has important implications as Pakistan may view this pact as a form of strategic deterrence against India in any future military conflicts.

10. This is particularly relevant in the context of ongoing concerns over cross-border terrorism originating from Pakistan.

11. Turning to India-Saudi Arabia relations, a strategic partnership between the two countries was formalized in 2010 through the Riyadh Declaration.

12. Economically, India is the second largest trade partner of Saudi Arabia, while Saudi Arabia ranks as the fifth largest trading partner of India.

13. Bilateral trade between India and Saudi Arabia reached 42.98 billion USD in 2023, with India remaining a net importer—meaning India imports more from Saudi Arabia than it exports.

14. In 2024, Saudi Arabia contributed 6.7% of India’s total inward remittances, which are funds sent back to India by Indian workers abroad.

15. Additionally, Saudi Arabia is India’s third largest crude oil supplier, underscoring the energy partnership between the two countries.

UN Chief’s Report on Structural and Programmatic Reforms Under UN80 Workstream 3

1. The UN Chief recently unveiled a progress report titled "Shifting Paradigms: United to Deliver", released under Workstream 3 of the UN80 Initiative.

2. This report proposes structural and programmatic realignments aimed at creating a more coherent and effective United Nations system.

3. A key focus of the report is to reduce silos—which means isolated departments or units working independently—and minimize duplication of efforts.

4. It emphasizes fostering more effective collaboration among various UN bodies to improve overall impact.

5. The report also stresses that all reforms should be implemented in line with existing rules and procedures, including adherence to the Charter of the United Nations, which is the foundational treaty establishing the UN.

6. The proposals focus on several main areas, starting with Peace & Security, where it suggests consolidating offices and leadership layers.

7. It also recommends creating centres of excellence for peacebuilding and for issues related to women to enhance specialized expertise.

8. In the area of Sustainable Development, the report proposes assessing possible mergers such as between UNDP (United Nations Development Programme) and UNOPS (United Nations Office for Project Services), as well as UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and UN Women.

9. The report further recommends sunsetting UNAIDS by 2026, meaning phasing out the programme by that year.

10. It also suggests the creation of Joint Knowledge Hubs to pool expertise across different UN agencies for better coordination.

11. For Human Rights, the report calls for establishing a system-wide Human Rights Group led by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to integrate human rights across all UN activities.

12. In the Humanitarian sector, the report proposes launching a New Humanitarian Compact designed to reduce bureaucracy and improve efficiency.

13. To enable these changes, the report identifies several paradigm shifts, beginning with Technology & Data.

14. It proposes creating a UN System Data Commons, a shared data resource, and a Technology Accelerator Platform to modernize operations and connect fragmented data systems.

15. On the topic of Funding, it recommends reforming pooled and core funding mechanisms to make them more attractive and better aligned with the UN’s collective priorities.

16. The UN80 Initiative itself is a comprehensive system-wide effort to streamline operations, enhance impact, and reaffirm the UN’s relevance in a rapidly changing world.

    • The initiative is divided into three workstreams; the first focuses on improving internal efficiency and effectiveness.

    • The second workstream is a mandate implementation review, which examines thousands of mandate documents—these are official tasks or responsibilities assigned to the UN Secretariat by Member States.

    • The third workstream, under which this report falls, explores whether structural changes and program realignment are necessary across the entire UN system.

20 Years of PWDV Act: Protecting Women from Domestic Violence

1. The Protection of Women from Domestic Violence (PWDV) Act, 2005 recently completed 20 years since its enactment.

2. The PWDV Act is designed to provide protection specifically to a wife or female live-in partner from violence caused by the husband, male live-in partner, or his relatives.

3. According to the "Crime in India 2022" report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), around 4.45 lakh cases of crimes against women were registered in 2022.

4. Among these crimes, the majority were categorized as Cruelty by Husband or his Relatives, highlighting the ongoing domestic violence issue.

5. The Act offers a broad definition of domestic violence, which includes not only physical abuse but also threats of abuse, whether physical, sexual, verbal, emotional, or economic.

6. It also covers harassment by means of unlawful dowry demands, which refers to illegal requests for money or property from the woman or her family.

7. To implement the Act, the State Government is mandated to establish an institutional mechanism including appointing Protection Officers.

8. These Protection Officers are responsible for preparing a domestic incident report to be submitted to the Magistrate.

9. They also ensure the provision of legal aid to the aggrieved woman, which means free or affordable legal support.

10. Additionally, Protection Officers facilitate access to safe shelter homes where victims can find temporary refuge.

11. The Act requires the registration of Service Providers, organizations that deliver assistance such as legal help, medical care, financial support, or other aid to affected women.

12. The State Government must also notify shelter homes and medical facilities to be available for victims.

13. Under the Act, the aggrieved woman can seek multiple reliefs such as protection orders, which legally prevent the abuser from committing further violence.

14. Other reliefs include residence orders that ensure the woman’s right to stay in the shared household.

15. Women can also apply for custody orders for their children, monetary reliefs for financial support, and access to shelter and medical facilities.

16. The Act explicitly guarantees every woman in a domestic relationship the right to reside in the shared household, preventing eviction by abusive partners.

17. However, the effectiveness of the Act faces several concerns, including deep-rooted social and cultural obstacles like victim-blaming and women’s economic dependence on their abusers.

18. Structural problems such as inadequate shelter infrastructure and low conviction rates further reduce the protection offered by the Act.

19. Institutional challenges include lack of awareness about the Act among women and insufficient training for Protection Officers and police personnel.

20. Moreover, the Act has seen an increase in misuse, with a growing number of false cases being filed under its provisions, which complicates enforcement.

WMO’s State of Global Water Resources 2024: Two-Thirds of Global Rivers Face Water Instability

1. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) released the State of Global Water Resources 2024 report.

2. The report highlights that the water cycle has become increasingly erratic and extreme, swinging between deluge (floods) and droughts.

3. A key finding is that all glacier regions worldwide have reported losses due to melting for the third consecutive year.

4. Many small-glacier regions have reached or are nearing the Peak Water Point, which is the stage when a glacier’s annual meltwater runoff is at its maximum before declining due to glacier shrinkage.

5. The report shows that two-thirds of global river catchment areas experience either too much or too little water, leading to instability.

6. This erratic water availability is causing extreme weather events such as heavy rainfall in Africa’s tropical zones, extensive flooding in Europe and Asia, and droughts in the Amazon Basin.

7. The water cycle describes the continuous movement of water within the Earth and atmosphere involving pools and fluxes.

   • Pools are the various forms and places where water is stored, such as lakes, glaciers, and the atmosphere.

   • Fluxes are the processes by which water moves between pools, including state changes like evaporation and condensation.

8. Climate change is intensifying the water cycle by increasing evaporation rates due to global warming.

9. This results in more water being stored in the atmosphere, which contributes to extreme weather events like droughts, heavy precipitation, and hurricanes.

10. Additionally, climate change causes sea level rise through melting glaciers and the thermal expansion of ocean water, leading to flooding in coastal areas.

India to Host First AI Impact Summit by a Global South Nation in 2026

1. The Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology recently unveiled key flagship initiatives for the India-AI Impact Summit 2026.

2. This summit is notable for being the first AI Impact Summit hosted by a Global South nation.

3. The summit will be guided by three core principles called sutras: People, Planet, and Progress.

4. Discussions at the summit will revolve around seven thematic areas known as Chakras.

5. These seven Chakras are: Human Capital, Inclusion, Safe & Trusted AI, Resilience, Science, Democratizing AI Resources, and Social Good.

6. One flagship initiative is the AI Pitch Fest (UDAAN), which aims to showcase innovative AI startups.

7. The summit will also conduct global innovation challenges targeted at youth, women, and other participants to encourage AI-driven innovations.

8. Another key initiative is a research symposium designed to foster international collaborations in AI research.

DeepSeek-R1 Enhances LLM Reasoning with Reinforcement Learning

1. DeepSeek-R1 demonstrates that reasoning capabilities in Large Language Models (LLMs) can be enhanced through reinforcement learning (RL).

   • Reinforcement Learning (RL) is a branch of machine learning focused on decision-making by autonomous agents.

   • An autonomous agent is any system capable of making decisions and acting in response to its environment, such as robots or self-driving cars.

2. RL operates on a trial-and-error basis without direct guidance from humans.

3. In this process, the agent takes an action and then receives either a reward or a penalty based on the outcome.

4. The agent uses this feedback to adjust its future actions, aiming to maximize its cumulative reward over time.

5. The key components of RL include the Agent (the learner or decision-maker), the Environment (the context in which the agent operates), and the Reward Signal (the feedback mechanism).

Project Swayat: India’s First Indigenous Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship

1. Project Swayat is an initiative aimed at developing India’s first indigenous Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS).

2. The project is being led by Indian Register of Shipping (IRS) in collaboration with Cochin Shipyard Ltd. (CSL).

   • Maritime Autonomous Surface Ship (MASS) refers to a ship that can operate independently of human interaction, to varying degrees.

   • The term "autonomous" implies the use of advanced automation, sensors, and decision-making systems to navigate and operate a vessel.

3. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has classified MASS into four degrees of autonomy based on level of human control.

   • Degree One refers to a ship with automated processes and decision support, where human control is still primary.

   • Degree Two includes remotely controlled ships with seafarers on board, where navigation is done remotely but crew remains for safety and operations.

   • Degree Three defines remotely controlled ships without any seafarers on board, operated entirely from remote locations.

   • Degree Four is a fully autonomous ship, capable of making independent decisions and navigating without any human involvement.

Vanakbara, Karaikal, Jakhau Selected for Pilot Smart Fishing Harbours

1. India has signed a Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) agreement with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

2. The agreement aims to strengthen Blue Port infrastructure in India through technical and strategic cooperation.

3. As part of the partnership, three pilot Smart and Integrated Fishing Harbours will be developed in selected coastal regions.

4. These pilot harbours are located at Vanakbara in Diu, Karaikal in Puducherry, and Jakhau in Gujarat.

5. The initiative is aligned with the broader FAO Blue Ports Initiative, which supports the sustainable development of marine and coastal zones.

6. The Blue Ports Initiative promotes the transformation of fishing ports into socially, economically, and environmentally sustainable areas.

   • It involves multi-stakeholder engagement, including local communities, governments, and private players in the coastal and marine sectors.

   • The initiative aims to make fishing ports act as strategic platforms for local, national, and regional growth.

   • This transformation includes the integration of smart technologies, infrastructure modernization, and sustainable resource management.

MOIL to Export India’s Surplus Low-Grade Manganese, Boosting Forex Earnings

1. MOIL (Manganese Ore India Limited) has started the export of manganese ore as a State Trading Enterprise (STE).

2. The Government of India has officially designated MOIL as the STE for the export of manganese ore with below 46% Mn (manganese) grade from India.

   • A State Trading Enterprise (STE) is a government-designated entity that has exclusive rights or responsibilities in international trade for specific commodities.

3. Manganese is a silvery grey metal that is very hard and brittle in nature.

4. It is an important mineral used mainly in the production of steel and ferroalloys.

5. In terms of total reserves and resources of manganese ore, Odisha ranks first in India.

6. Karnataka holds the second position in total manganese ore reserves.

7. As per data for 2021–22, Madhya Pradesh was the leading producer of manganese ore in the country.

8. India possesses a surplus quantity of low-grade manganese ore, particularly in the form of fines (small-sized particles).

9. The export of this low-grade surplus ore holds major economic significance for India.

10. It helps in utilizing otherwise underused resources and also contributes to foreign exchange earnings.

AAS: Export Promotion Scheme Under DGFT Faces Misuse Allegations

1. The Advance Authorisation Scheme (AAS) is a trade facilitation measure to promote exports.

2. The scheme allows duty-free import of inputs that are physically incorporated in products meant for export.

3. This includes exports made to Special Economic Zones (SEZs) as well.

4. Inputs like fuel, oil, and catalysts that are consumed during production are also eligible under the scheme.

5. The scheme aims to make Indian exports more competitive by reducing input costs.

6. AAS is administered by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

   • DGFT functions under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India.

7. Recently, the Indian Metallurgical Coke Manufacturers Association (IMCOM) raised concerns about the misuse of the AAS.

8. IMCOM alleged that imported coking coal was being used to manufacture steel for domestic sale, not for exports.

9. This alleged misuse violates the core purpose of the scheme, which is to support exports, not subsidize domestic production.

Puducherry: India’s First UT to Achieve Zero Maternal Mortality

1. Puducherry has become the first Union Territory (UT) in India to achieve zero maternal mortality.

   • Maternal mortality refers to the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of the termination of pregnancy.

2. The cause of maternal mortality must be related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, not due to accidental or incidental causes.

3. The key measure of maternal health outcomes is the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR).

   • MMR is defined as the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in a given time period.

4. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target for MMR is to reduce it to 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.

5. As of the latest data, India's MMR stands at 93 per 100,000 live births, which is above the SDG target.

6. Several Indian states have already achieved the SDG target of MMR below 70.

7. These states include Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Gujarat, and Karnataka.

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