UPSC Daily Current Affairs| One Liners 24-09-2025

One Liners 24-09-2025

Polity & Governance

Secularism

There can be no restriction in a public event on the basis of religion.

• Supreme Court reaffirmed – Secularism is a part of the Basic Structure of the Constitution.

• Significance – Supreme court upholds the right to participate in public cultural events regardless of religion.

• Established in – Kesavananda Bharati case (1973).

• Parliament cannot amend the 'basic structure' of the Constitution (e.g., secularism, democracy, federalism).

UP Prohibits Caste-Based Rallies

Allahabad High Court directed the government to remove caste glorifying boards.

• Aim – To eliminate caste-based discrimination.

• Key directives of the order

  • Removing caste columns from police records, such as panchakarmas, arrest memos, and personal search memos.

  • Removing caste-glorifying signboards and announcements;

  • Strictly monitoring social media for content that glorifies or denigrates any caste.

• Legal basis – Vehicles bearing caste names, slogans, or stickers will be challenged under the Central Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

International Relations and Issues

China's Internet Ban

China's internet regulator launched a two-month crackdown on social media.

• Authorized by – Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

• Objectives – Combat content with "malicious incitement of conflict" and "negative outlooks on life."

Economy

Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI)

• An economic indicator that assesses the health of a country's manufacturing or services sector.

• Published on – Monthly basis, by S&P Global.

• Uses – It provides timely insights into current economic conditions, aiding swift decision-making.

• Readings

  • Above 50 – Sectoral expansion

  • Below 50 – Contraction

  • Equal to 50 – No change  

• Covers – Various business aspects like new orders, production, and employment, offering a comprehensive view of sector performance.

Agriculture

Rooibos tea

• Scientific name – Rooibos plant (Aspalathus linearis)

• It is a caffeine-free drink made from the leaves of a rooibos shrub.

• Indigenous to – South Africa.

• Grows in – Mountainous Cederberg region of South Africa’s Western Cape province.

• Harvested by – Khoisan people.

• Benefits –

  • To protect your body’s cells from damage caused by harmful molecules.

  • Anti-inflammatory substance, which reduces swelling.  

  • To protect the heart and liver, regulate blood sugar and improve skin health & strengthen gut barrier.

Environment

51^st Foundation Day of Central Pollution Control Board

• It is a Statutory organization under Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).

• Established under – Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974.

• Aim – To promote cleanliness of streams and wells, and improving air quality.

• Report released –

  • Title ‘Classification of Polluted River Stretches, 2025’.

  • Title ‘Identification of Non-Polluted and Polluted Stretches and Water Bodies through Freshwater Benthic Macroinvertebrates in India’.

• Launched – Updated SAMEER App (Version 2.0)

SAMEER App

• It provides hourly updates on the National Air Quality Index (AQI).

• Air Quality Index is a tool for effective communication of air quality in single number, nomenclature and colour.

• Published by – Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

• Pollutants monitored – Sulphur Dioxide (SO2), Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2), Particulate Matter (PM10 and PM2.5), Carbon Monoxide (CO), Ozone(O3) etc.

Science

India’s 1^st Bamboo-Based Bioethanol Plant

• Inaugurated in – Golaghat, Assam.

• Developed by – Assam Bio-Ethanol Private Limited with Numaligarh Refinery Ltd.

• Nodal ministry – Ministry of Petroleum & Natural Gas.

• Aim – To make energy self-sufficiency and green energy promotion with circular economy.

Bamboo

• Bamboos are typically fast-growing perennials, with some species growing as much as 30 cm (1 foot) per day.

• Characteristics – The woody ringed stems, known as culms, are typically hollow between the rings (nodes) and grow in branching clusters from a thick rhizome (underground stem).

• No longer a tree – Amendment to the Indian Forest Act, 1927, bamboo is no longer classified as a tree, lifting the ban on its cutting.

• It supports the livelihoods of forest communities and private growers.

Bioethanol

• It is a type of alcohol and high-octane biofuel (C2H5OH).

• Produced from – Biomass like corn, sugarcane, grains, bamboo and vegetable residues.