UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 01-10-2026

One Liners 01-10-2026

Polity & Governance

Five Digital Identity Initiatives of UIDAI

The UIDAI launched five new initiatives at the Aadhaar Samvaad conference in Kolkata, coinciding with the 17th Aadhaar Day.

• Face Authentication for Electronic Public Distribution System (ePDS) – A new consent-based, contactless face authentication system for ration beneficiaries under the electronic Public Distribution System (ePDS).
• It was developed jointly by UIDAI, the Department of Food and Public Distribution (DFPD), and the National Informatics Centre (NIC).
• SWIK Portal 2.0 – An upgraded portal under the Aadhaar Authentication for Good Governance Framework that simplifies the approval process for Aadhaar authentication requests.
• It enables eligible non-government entities to submit proposals online, streamlines authentication approval workflows and promotes wider adoption of Aadhaar-enabled governance services.
• Sub-AUA / Sub-KUA (LITE) Framework – A simplified onboarding framework for entities with low-volume Aadhaar authentication requirements.
• It allows organisations to use the infrastructure of existing Authentication User Agencies (AUA) or KYC User Agencies (KUA), reduces costs and technical barriers and expands Aadhaar-based digital services to smaller organisations.
• New Token Management System – A digital queue and appointment management system for visitors to UIDAI's State and Regional Offices.
• It is intended to reduce waiting time, improve service delivery and streamline Aadhaar-related visits and grievance handling.
• Revamped UIDAI Website and Career Portal – Aimed at making it easier to access Aadhaar-related information and services.
• Key Features - Redesigned user-friendly interface, enhanced accessibility features such as screen-reader support and keyboard navigation, etc.

International Relations and Issues

15th UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

The Union Minister of State for Law and Justice addressed the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

• UN Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice – It is also called the ‘UN Crime Congress’.
• It is the world’s largest and most diverse gathering of policy-makers, practitioners, academia, intergovernmental organisations and civil society in the field of crime prevention and criminal justice.
• Organised by the – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), a UN agency mandated to assist Member States in combating illicit drugs, transnational organised crime, corruption and terrorism, while strengthening criminal justice and the rule of law.
• Theme for 15^th crime congress – “Accelerating crime prevention, criminal justice and the rule of law: protecting people and planet and achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in the digital age”.
• Abu Dhabi Declaration – Adopted at the Congress, establishes a cohesive, five-year international roadmap to modernise justice systems and strengthen global legal cooperation, including emerging trends like "crime as a service" and "violence as a service”.
• 4 thematic pillars of the declaration
  • Prevention and Resilience
  • Justice and the Rule of Law
  • Evolving and Converging Criminal Threats
  • Innovation and Cooperation

India's recent justice-sector reforms and digital initiatives

The Union Minister of State for Law and Justice addressed the 15th United Nations Congress on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

• India's presence at the Congress reinforces its focus on modernising legal structures, leveraging digital tools, strengthening public institutions, and fostering active international cooperation.

Key highlights

• New criminal law framework – India emphasised its newly enacted legal framework, pointing to their emphasis on technology integration, swift access to justice, forensic sciences, and digital-first legal processes.
  • Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita,
  • Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, and
  • Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam.
• Digital crime-fighting initiatives – India's digital measures to combat cyber threats, highlighting their role in expediting crime reporting, blocking fraud, and freezing mule accounts.
  • Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) and the
  • National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal.
• Zero tolerance Policy – Reaffirming India's stance of zero tolerance toward terrorism, stressed the urgency of international collaboration to
  • Counter terrorism,
  • Drug smuggling,
  • Transnational wildlife offences,
  • Illegal logging,
  • Toxic waste disposal, and other forms of organised and environmental crime.
• Expanding Cooperation – The expanding legal collaboration between India and the UAE, especially regarding international arbitration and alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.
• Emphasised collaboration between the India International Arbitration Centre (IIAC) and the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) focuses on knowledge sharing, professional training, joint initiatives, legal research, and digital dispute resolution systems.

Economy

India’s First Blue Bond

SEBI has recognised blue bonds as part of sustainable finance instruments and highlighted their potential for the country’s blue economy.

• Bond – An instrument through which an issuer raises money from investors and promises periodic interest payments and to repay principal at maturity.
• Blue bond – A blue bond follows the same structure as a conventional bond, but adds an environmental element; the proceeds must be for clearly identified water- and ocean-related projects.
• Additional responsibility – For greater disclosure, Issuers need frameworks explaining where the money will be invested, impact measurement mechanisms and periodic reporting to eschew bluewashing.
• Recognition – Securities and Exchange Board of India has already recognised blue bonds as part of sustainable finance instruments.
• India's 1^st Blue Bond Initiative – India's maiden blue bond is being planned under the Sagarmala Programme and aims to raise Rs. 1,000 crore to support maritime-sector projects.
• Objective – Seeks to bring the ocean economy to the capital markets, even as doubts linger on its timing given the signs of hardening global interest rates.
• Issuance – Through Sagarmala Finance Corporation Ltd. (SMFCL), the programme's financing arm.
• Sagarmala programme – Launched in 2015, a flagship initiative by the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways aimed at promoting port-led development to reduce logistics costs for domestic and EXIM trade.

Infrastructure

1st steel bridge for bullet train

Maharashtra launches 100-metre steel bridge for bullet train project over NH-3.

• Steel Bridge – It is the first steel bridge set up in Maharashtra for the ambitious Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train project.
• Mumbai-Ahmedabad High-Speed Rail Corridor – The 508-km Rail Corridor will be India's first dedicated high-speed rail line and is expected to significantly reduce travel time between Mumbai and Ahmedabad.
• Location – Launched over National Highway-3, installed in Maharashtra's Dive-Anjur village in the Bhiwandi area of Thane district.
• Specifications – A 100-metre-long bridge, weighing 1,405 metric tonnes, 14 metres high.
• Features – Exemplifying indigenous technical and material capability under the Make in India initiative, equipped with a protective painting system and elastomeric bearings to enhance durability and manage vibrations.
• Advanced Bridge Launching Technique – An automated launching system was used to pull the bridge into its final position during scheduled night-time traffic blocks, minimising inconvenience to commuters.
• Components transported – The structure was fabricated at a specialised workshop and transported from Trichy, Tamil Nadu, located 1,300 km away, to Thane and assembled on site for installation.
• Project status – With this installation, 16 out of the total 28 steel bridges planned along the entire bullet train corridor have now been completed.

Security

India’s Kaveri Engine

India's Kaveri engine clears trials in Russia, ready for integration with stealth UCAV 'Ghatak'

• Kaveri engine – The Kaveri dry engine, or Kaveri Derivative Engine (KDE), is a jet turbine built without an afterburner "dry" turbofan engine designed to be quieter, lighter, and optimised for aircraft that do not require sudden bursts of supersonic speed.
• Built by – DRDO's Gas Turbine Research Establishment (GTRE), in Bengaluru.
• Origin – The Kaveri engine project began in the late 1980s with the goal of powering the indigenous LCA Tejas.
• Ghatak – It is a tailless flying-wing configuration with curved air intake paths and shaped exhausts to drastically reduce radar cross-section and detection.
• It has been built using 80-90% carbon-fibre prepreg composite materials that lower structural weight and absorb radar waves.
• It is designed to carry missiles, bombs and precision-guided munitions internally to maintain its low-observable stealth profile.
• Operational roles – Penetrate heavily defended enemy air defences to destroy critical command centres and radar installations; to suppress enemy air defences; and to coordinate closely with manned fighter jets like Tejas and AMCA in future operations.
• Testing in Russia – The engine underwent testing at two Russian facilities in Central Institute of Aviation Motors (CIAM) and the Gromov Flight Research Institute.
• During the trials, the engine achieved a peak dry thrust of 48.5 kN, exceeding the expected 46 kN performance benchmark.

ASEAN-India Maritime Exercise (AIME-2026)

• Location – Commenced at Subic Bay, Philippines.
• Host – Co-hosted by the Indian Navy and the Philippine Navy.
• Theme for this edition – “Anchored in Trust, United at Sea”.
• 1^st edition – The inaugural edition of AIME was held in Singapore in 2023.
• Participation – Indian Naval Ships INS Sahyadri and INS Kulish, along with maritime forces from ASEAN Member States.
• Phases – Divided into a Harbour Phase (professional and social interactions) and a Sea Phase (tactical drills and manoeuvres).
• Key Drills – Boarding operations, medical evacuation, and helicopter cross-deck landings off the coast of Zambales.
• Vision – Aligns with India's MAHASAGAR vision (Mutual and Holistic Advancement for Security and Growth Across Regions) and the Act East Policy.
• Significance – The exercise brings together maritime forces from India and ASEAN countries for professional, operational and social engagements aimed at enhancing mutual understanding, cooperation and interoperability.

Awards

Skytrax World Airline Awards, 2026

• Skytrax – An international air transport rating organisation and aviation consultancy introduced the World Airline Awards in 1999.
• World Airline Awards – They are based on the world’s largest annual airline passenger satisfaction survey, rather than by the organisation's editorial team.
• It is commonly referred to as the "Oscars of the aviation industry”.
• For the 2026 edition, passengers from more than 100 nationalities took part in the survey conducted between September 2025 and August 2026.
• The survey collected 24.8 million eligible responses from travellers and covered over 300 airlines worldwide.
• The survey evaluates customer choices and value for money, allowing passengers to nominate and rate any airline globally on a scale of 1 to 5 across key operational aspects.
• 3 categories –
  • Cabin service,
  • Ground and airport experience, and
  • Onboard product.

Achievements

• Singapore Airlines reclaimed the crown as the World's Best Airline, marking its sixth overall win.
• Qatar Airways finished in second place globally, closely followed by Cathay Pacific Airways in third.

Indian Aviation Highlights

• Air India has been named the ‘Best Airline in India ', surpassing IndiGo to claim the top position in India this year (climbed to 57th globally from 82nd previously).
• Air India was named the world's second Most Improved Airline for 2026.
• IndiGo placed 61st overall while capturing key regional category awards for low-cost service, staff, and cleanliness in India and South Asia.

Sports

1^st Indian woman to win individual gold at Asian Games

Neeru Dhanda won India's first individual gold medal in the women's trap shooting event with a new Asian record score of 28 out of 30 targets.

• Event – Women's Trap Individual at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
• Record – Shot an Asian record of 28/30 in the final, surpassing the previous mark of 24.
• Milestone – Became the first Indian woman to win an individual gold medal in any shotgun event at the Asian Games.
• Additional Medals – She also won a silver in the women's trap team event (with Aashima Ahlawat and Manisha Keer) and teamed up with Kynan Chenai to secure another gold in the trap mixed team event.
• Asian Games – The 20^th Asian Games are currently underway in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, running from 19 September to 4 October 2026.
• This continental multi-sport event features over 10,000 athletes from 46 nations competing in 469 medal events across 43 sports.

Miscellaneous

WorldSkills Shanghai, 2026

WorldSkills 2026, a six-day competition in Shanghai, brought together more than 1,400 young competitors from around 70 countries and regions.

• WorldSkills – It is a global skills competition held every two years, where young professionals from different countries compete in vocational and technical skills.
• It promotes global skill standards, knowledge sharing and skilled careers.
• Historic contingent – India sent its largest-ever contingent of 70 competitors across 63 skills.
• Debut categories – The country debuted in 11 new and emerging skill categories, including dental prosthetics, digital interactive media design, intelligent security technology, unmanned aerial systems, among others.
• Coordinated by – India’s participation was coordinated by the National Skill Development Corporation (NSDC) under the aegis of the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship (MSDE).
• Team India’s performance – 6 silver medals and 20 medals for excellence- marks a significant leap in our global skills journey.