Current Affairs, 3 November 2026

Venue and dates

COP31 is to be held in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026.

Negotiating groups

India will work with G-77 and China, LMDC and BASIC.

Paris Agreement temperature goal

The Paris Agreement aims to hold warming well below 2°C and pursue 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Pre-COP31 venue and hosts

The Pre-COP31 meeting was held in Fiji and co-hosted by Australia, Fiji and Tuvalu.

Temperature goal

The Paris Agreement's long-term goal is to hold the global temperature rise well below 2°C and pursue efforts to limit it to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.

Legal basis

The Paris Agreement was adopted at COP21 in 2015 and entered into force in 2016. It is legally binding as a treaty, but national targets (NDCs) are nationally determined.

UNFCCC

The UNFCCC was adopted in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit and has its secretariat in Bonn, Germany.

Don’t confuse with LMDC vs BASIC: LMDC is the Like-Minded Developing Countries group. BASIC is Brazil, South Africa, India and China.

Don’t confuse with Pre-COP vs COP: The Pre-COP is a preparatory ministerial meeting a few weeks before the COP. It does not take binding decisions; the COP is the decision-making body of the Parties.

Don’t confuse with UNFCCC vs Paris Agreement: The UNFCCC (1992) is the parent framework treaty. The Paris Agreement (2015) is a later agreement under it, with the 1.5°C/2°C temperature goal.

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. 2025Mains GS3 · Q18Review India's Paris Agreement commitments, COP26 strengthening, and the 2022 NDC update
2. 2021Mains GS3 · Q17Describe COP26 outcomes and India's commitments made there
3. 2014Mains GS3 · Q13Should UNFCCC carbon credits and Clean Development Mechanism be maintained despite falling credit value?
4. 2022Mains GS3 · Q17Discuss global warming and control measures under the Kyoto Protocol
5. 2025Prelims Q34Which statements about Article 6 of the Paris Agreement are correct
6. 2016Prelims Q97Which statements on the 2015 Paris Agreement's goals and signing are correct
7. 2018Prelims Q88Which body launched the 'Momentum for Change: Climate Neutral Now' initiative

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

Launch and position

Aditya-L1 was launched in September 2023 and now operates at the Sun-Earth L1 point, giving continuous views of the Sun.

Payloads

It carries 7 payloads. VELC is the primary one, an internally occulted coronagraph.

VELC spectroscopy

VELC studies nascent CMEs through the 530.3 nm green emission line of highly ionized iron in the corona.

Who built VELC

VELC was designed and fabricated by IIA at its MGK Menon Lab for Space Sciences on the CREST campus in Hosakote, with ISRO support.

Key finding

The CME did not expand like a symmetric bubble. It expanded non-uniformly and took an asymmetric shape, which can alter its speed towards Earth.

IIA status

IIA is an autonomous institution under the Department of Science and Technology.

Don’t confuse with L1 point vs Earth orbit: Aditya-L1 is placed near the Sun-Earth L1 point, not in an orbit around Earth or the Sun itself.

Don’t confuse with CME vs solar flare: A CME is a large ejection of plasma and magnetic field from the corona. A solar flare is a burst of radiation. They can occur together but are different.

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. 2022Mains GS3 · Q15Unique features and goals of James Webb space-based telescope over predecessors
2. 2016Mains GS3 · Q12Discuss India's space science achievements and their socio-economic applications
3. 2025Prelims Q33Which statements link solar flares and coronal mass ejections to Earth's atmosphere

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

Developer

The Coal Controller Organisation, under the Ministry of Coal, developed the tool.

Ranking method

It uses a Multi-Criteria Decision-Making method based on TOPSIS to evaluate and rank repurposing options.

RECLAIM

RECLAIM is the community engagement and development framework built into SUVIKALP to bring local priorities into project evaluation.

PRISM

PRISM, the Post-Mining Repurposing Implementation Strategic Model, covers implementation pathways beyond identifying and ranking projects.

Next phase

The next phase aims to expand use across closed and abandoned coal and lignite mines and turn recommendations into feasibility studies, concept notes and DPRs.

Don’t confuse with RECLAIM vs PRISM: RECLAIM is the community engagement framework; PRISM is the implementation model with a knowledge repository.

Don’t confuse with SUVIKALP vs Mining Plan Guidelines: SUVIKALP is the digital tool; the Mining Plan Guidelines for Coal and Lignite Mine, 2025 are the guidelines it is aligned with.

Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.

1. 2017Mains GS1 · Q6Discuss coal mining's inevitability despite its adverse environmental impact
2. 2025Mains GS3 · Q17Why mining is an environmental hazard and remedial measures to reduce it
3. 2022Prelims Q72Role of the Coal Controller's Organisation in India, which statements are correct

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 Q51Importance of CAG beyond efficiency, including PAC discussion of CAG reports?
5. 2012Prelims Q56Which reports must the President lay before Parliament, including any PAC report?
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.

Parties and place

MoRTH and the Government of Bihar signed the MoU in New Delhi, with NHAI as the implementing agency on the highway side.

Nodal department

Bihar's Road Construction Department is the nodal department. A State-level Coordination Committee will examine proposals, ease approvals and monitor work.

State policy

The work follows the Bihar Water Sources Restoration and Silt Management Policy, 2026. It also allows removal of flood-deposited sand and silt from farmland.

Silt quantities

243 lakh cubic metres of silt will go into 16 ongoing projects. About 835 lakh cubic metres is proposed for 27 future projects, subject to technical suitability and approvals.

Quality and safeguards

Silt suitability will be tested against MoRTH specifications and Indian Roads Congress (IRC) codes. Extraction is allowed only at approved locations and within technical limits.

NH network in Bihar

The National Highway network in Bihar grew from 4,615 km in 2014 to about 6,500 km now.

Don’t confuse with Desilting vs dredging for navigation: Here, desilting aims at flood control, water-carrying capacity and construction material. Dredging under inland waterways mainly keeps channels deep enough for navigation.

Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.

1. 2017Mains GS1 · Q16How floods can become sustainable irrigation and all-weather inland navigation source.
2. 2020Mains GS1 · Q14Critically examine river interlinking as solution to droughts, floods, navigation.
3. 2024Mains GS3 · Q18Discuss causes, features, and policies for urban flooding in India.

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

Legal basis

The selection was made under the National Dental Commission Act, 2023 and its Rules.

Tenure and numbers

Part-time members serve two years. Ten represent State/UT Governments and nine represent State Dental Councils.

Autonomous Boards

The Commission has three boards: Under-Graduate and Post-Graduate Dental Education Board, Dental Assessment and Rating Board, and Ethics and Dental Registration Board.

Board members from State Dental Councils

The second part-time member of each board comes from the nine State Dental Council members, under Section 17(5) of the Act.

Method

A draw of lots is the statutory way to choose part-time members, giving states a rotating turn.

Replaces

The NDC replaces the Dental Council of India, which is dissolved from 19 March 2026.

Date of effect

Notifications were issued on 19 March 2026 and the NDC framework came into force the same day.

Three autonomous boards

The boards cover dental education (UG and PG), assessment and rating, and ethics and registration.

Functions

The NDC frames regulations, rates institutions, promotes research and frames fee guidelines for private dental colleges.

Structure change

The new framework replaces the earlier elected structure with an appointed one.

Parent ministry

The NDC functions under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Don’t confuse with National Dental Commission vs National Medical Commission: The NDC regulates dental education and practice under the 2023 Act. The NMC regulates medical education and practice under the National Medical Commission Act, 2019.

Don’t confuse with Part-time vs full-time members: Part-time members from states are drawn by lots for fixed terms. This release covers only part-time members.

Don’t confuse with NDC vs NMC: The National Dental Commission regulates dentistry; the National Medical Commission (2020) regulates medical education and replaced the Medical Council of India.

Don’t confuse with Statutory vs constitutional body: NDC is statutory, created by an Act of Parliament. Constitutional bodies such as the Election Commission derive power from the Constitution.

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. 2015Mains GS2 · Q16Discuss whether regulatory institutions remain independent and autonomous, using recent experiences.
2. 2022Mains GS2 · Q5Discuss the role of NCBC after its change from statutory to constitutional body.
3. 2020Mains GS2 · Q15What steps constitutionalize a Commission, and would it help women's justice?

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

Coastal Cargo Promotion Scheme

Announced in the 2026-27 budget. It offers incentives to cargo owners, coastal vessel operators and multimodal transport operators.

Cruise Bharat Mission

Launched in September 2024. It targets 1 million sea cruise passengers and 400,000 jobs by March 2029.

River cruise network

Twenty river cruise circuits run across 16 National Waterways; 51 more are identified.

Freight share target

Share of coastal and inland waterway shipping in freight to rise from 6% to 12% by 2047.

Don’t confuse with Coastal shipping vs inland waterways: Coastal shipping moves cargo between Indian ports by sea. Inland waterways use rivers and canals, such as the National Waterways.

Schemes: 52 Prelims questions since 2013, 10 in Prelims 2026 alone. They test features, the period and who funds it. In Mains, 33 news-triggered questions, mostly GS3.

1. 2016Mains GS1 · Q19Problems and prospects of inland water transport in India
2. 2022Mains GS2 · Q6Gati Shakti connectivity needs government and private sector coordination
3. 2026Prelims Q35Sagarmala's port-led growth, coastal shipping gains, and Sagarmala 2.0 statements
4. 2026Prelims Q24How Vizhinjam port represents a structural shift in maritime trade and logistics

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

Mission approval

The Union Cabinet approved the IndiaAI Mission on 7 March 2024.

Seven pillars

The mission has seven pillars: Compute Capacity, Innovation Centre, Datasets Platform (AIKosh), Application Development Initiative, FutureSkills, Startup Financing, and Safe & Trusted AI.

Dhīr 2B and 5B (ZenteiQ)

These are open-source models for secure, on-premise use. They support English and 10 Indian languages.

Compute support

Subsidised national AI compute and support for ancillary research costs enabled the models.

AIKosh

AIKosh is the IndiaAI datasets platform, and the models can be made available through it.

Outlay and approval

The Mission was approved in March 2024 with an outlay of ₹10,371 crore over five years.

Responsible AI projects

13 Responsible AI projects were approved in educational institutions, covering bias mitigation, machine unlearning, privacy-preserving AI, explainability, deepfake detection and risk assessment.

AI Safety Institute

It was announced in January 2025 and works through a hub-and-spoke model; it oversees projects selected under the Expressions of Interest rounds.

Governance Guidelines

They set a risk-based framework and propose AIGEG, TPEC and AISI as institutional mechanisms.

Summit deliverables

India chaired the India AI Impact Summit 2026 in New Delhi; outcomes included Frontier AI Impact Commitments, a Guidance Note on AI Governance and the Trusted AI Commons.

Don’t confuse with EKA-1 vs Dhīr: EKA-1 is a large 26.3-billion-parameter model covering all 22 scheduled languages. Dhīr 2B and 5B are lightweight models for on-device use, supporting 10 Indian languages.

Don’t confuse with Foundation model vs LLM: A foundation model is the broader class of large pre-trained models. An LLM is a foundation model focused on language.

Don’t confuse with AIKosh vs IndiaAI Compute: AIKosh is the datasets and models platform; IndiaAI Compute provides GPU access.

Don’t confuse with AI Safety Institute vs AI Impact Summit: The Institute is a standing national body; the Summit was a one-time global event India chaired in 2026.

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. 2026Mains GS3 · Q16Explain agentic AI, its working, applications, advantages, risks and challenges.
2. 2026Mains GS3 · Q9Discuss fake news threats and 2021 IT Rules amendments on digital media.
3. 2019Mains ESSAY · Q8Essay on whether AI brings jobless future or better jobs via reskilling.
4. 2026Mains GS4 · Q1Discuss ethics and accountability of professor using AI to generate evaluation report.
5. 2026Mains GS4 · Q8Assess AI predictive policing using biometric data of crowds, ethically and legally.
6. 2020Prelims Q38Which AI capabilities are achievable at present state of development?

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