Current Affairs, 1 November 2026

Signals

NVS-03 carries L1, L5 and S band navigation payloads. L1 is the addition over the legacy L5 and S.

Constellation design

NavIC was designed with seven satellites: three in geostationary orbit and four in inclined geosynchronous orbit.

Services

Standard Positioning Service is open to civilians. Restricted Service is encrypted and only for strategic users.

Cryogenic stage

GSLV's third stage is an indigenous cryogenic stage using liquid hydrogen as fuel and liquid oxygen as oxidiser. It replaced the Russian-supplied stage.

Don’t confuse with GTO vs geosynchronous slot: GTO is an elliptical transfer orbit with a low perigee and an apogee near 35,786 km. The satellite later raises its perigee with an apogee motor to reach its final geosynchronous slot.

Don’t confuse with Geostationary vs inclined geosynchronous: Both have a period matching Earth's rotation. A geostationary satellite stays fixed over the equator; an inclined one traces a figure-eight on the ground.

Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.

1. 2018Mains GS1 · Q4Why IRNSS is needed and how it aids navigation.
2. 2015Mains GS3 · Q11Discuss GPS positioning types and IRNSS's seven-satellite advantages.
3. 2018Prelims Q61Which IRNSS statements about orbits and coverage are correct?

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

Trial airports

Trials are at Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Cochin, Mumbai, Chennai and Amritsar.

Eligibility

Only Indian nationals holding e-passports can use it on select Air India and IndiGo international flights.

How the credential is made

The passenger scans the MRZ of the e-passport, reads the chip by NFC, takes a selfie and verifies the details.

Storage

The Verifiable Credential is kept in the passenger's Digi Yatra wallet on the device.

Not a replacement

It complements existing processes; documents, airline checks and immigration still apply.

Don’t confuse with Digi Yatra vs DigiLocker: Digi Yatra is an airport facial-recognition entry system; DigiLocker is a government cloud platform for storing documents.

Don’t confuse with MRZ vs NFC chip: The MRZ is the printed machine-readable lines on the passport page; the NFC chip is the embedded electronic storage read wirelessly.

Science and technology: 57 Prelims questions since 2013; most test the concept behind the news, not the news itself. In Mains, 12 news-triggered questions.

1. 2017Mains GS3 · Q3Examine airport development through PPP joint ventures and the challenges faced.
2. 2024Mains GS3 · Q6Explain technology for electronic toll collection, its advantages, limitations, and transition hazards.
3. 2014Mains GS2 · Q15Should Aadhaar and NPR run concurrently, and what developmental potential do they have?
4. 2014Prelims Q66Which techniques besides fingerprint scanning can be used for biometric identification?

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

Opposition chair

By convention, a Member of the Opposition is appointed Chairperson of the PAC. The Speaker called this a sign of the maturity of Indian parliamentary democracy.

Link with the CAG

Examining CAG audit findings, scrutinising Action Taken Reports and following up on recommendations are core PAC work.

Pending audit observations

The Speaker flagged audit observations that stay unresolved for 10 to 20 years and asked for a time-bound action plan.

Proposal from PAC Chairman

PAC Chairman K.C. Venugopal proposed that at least one PAC report, with the government's Action Taken on it, be discussed in every Parliament session.

Origin and composition

The PAC was first set up in 1921 under the Government of India Act 1919 reforms. It has 22 members: 15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha. A Minister cannot be a member.

Conference theme

The two-day conference will discuss audit, accountability and good governance and the evolving role of the PAC.

Role of PACs

PACs examine public expenditure and check that public funds are used in line with legislative intent.

Membership

The PAC has 22 members: 15 from Lok Sabha and 7 from Rajya Sabha. It is elected every year by proportional representation through single transferable vote.

Chair and Minister bar

The Chair is appointed by the Lok Sabha Speaker from among its members. Since 1967 the Chair has gone to a member of the opposition. A Minister cannot be a member.

Don’t confuse with PAC vs Estimates Committee: The PAC examines audit reports and accounts of money already spent. The Estimates Committee, with members only from Lok Sabha, examines estimates and suggests economies.

Don’t confuse with PAC vs CAG: The CAG audits government accounts and is a constitutional authority. The PAC is a parliamentary committee that examines the CAG's reports.

Don’t confuse with PAC vs Committee on Public Undertakings: The PAC covers government accounts and departments. The Committee on Public Undertakings examines the accounts and reports of public sector undertakings.

Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.

1. 2017Mains GS2 · Q5Discuss the role of the Public Accounts Committee in establishing government accountability.
2. 2024Mains GS2 · Q4Comment on CAG's duty to ensure propriety, not just legality, of expenditure
3. 2023Mains GS2 · Q16Explain parliamentary committee structure and how financial committees institutionalised Parliament.
4. 2012Prelims Q56Which reports must the President lay before Parliament, including any PAC report?
5. 2012Prelims Q51Importance of CAG beyond efficiency, including PAC discussion of CAG reports?
6. 2013Prelims Q51Which statements about PAC composition, scrutiny of accounts, and CAG reports are correct?
7. 2004Prelims Q1Which statements on parliamentary control of public finance accounts are correct

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.

ISA focus at this event

The ISA Assembly will advance cooperation in solar energy, including finance and institutional capacity.

Summit dates and theme

The four-day Bharat RE Summit runs 2 to 5 November 2026 with the theme 'Invest. Innovate. Inspire.'

Origin of ISA

ISA was launched by India and France at COP21, Paris, in November 2015.

Headquarters

ISA is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, India.

Legal basis

ISA became a treaty-based international organisation when its Framework Agreement entered into force in December 2017.

Don’t confuse with Bharat RE vs ISA Assembly: Bharat RE is India's investment and industry summit, successor to RE-INVEST. The ISA Assembly is the member countries' governing meeting of a separate international organisation.

International bodies and relations: the largest group of news questions in Prelims (61 since 2013), often about background, members and location. In Mains, 27 news-triggered questions, mostly on India's interests.

1. 2021Mains GS3 · Q6Explain the Green Grid Initiative and when ISA first floated the idea.
2. 2025Mains GS1 · Q6Explain ecological and economic benefits of solar energy generation in India with examples.
3. 2020Mains GS3 · Q16Describe benefits of solar electricity over conventional energy and government initiatives for it.
4. 2016Prelims Q81Was the International Solar Alliance launched at COP and does it include all UN members?
5. 2022Prelims Q84Which statements on India's largest solar park, solar airport and floating solar are correct?

UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.