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September 24th Current Affairs

Home / UPSC / Current affairs / UPSC Current Affairs – September 24th

Table of Contents

Election Commission and Electoral Roll Revision

The Election Commission of India (ECI) is currently in the news in the context of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and questions concerning the functioning of the three-member Commission. A recent report states that two Election Commissioners have formally raised objections regarding certain decisions connected with voter registration, deletion/restoration of names and management of electoral-roll data.

Why is it important?

The issue is important for UPSC because it connects with:

  • Constitutional bodies
  • Article 324
  • Electoral reforms
  • Independence and autonomy of the ECI
  • Electoral rolls and right to vote
  • Representation of the People Acts, 1950 & 1951
  • Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
  • Transparency and accountability in election administration

Election Commission of India — Constitutional Basis

The Election Commission of India is a constitutional body established under Article 324 of the Constitution.

Article 324 vests the ECI with the superintendence, direction and control of:

  • Preparation of electoral rolls
  • Conduct of elections to Parliament
  • State Legislatures
  • Office of the President
  • Office of the Vice-President

Composition

The Commission consists of:

  • Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
  • Such number of Election Commissioners (ECs) as the President may determine.

The President appoints the CEC and other Election Commissioners subject to the constitutional and statutory framework.

Special Intensive Revision (SIR)

SIR is an intensive exercise to verify and update electoral rolls.

It involves identifying issues such as:

  • Dead voters
  • Shifted voters
  • Duplicate entries
  • Incorrect entries
  • Eligible citizens whose names may need to be added

The current nationwide SIR exercise has brought the ECI’s role in determining eligibility and maintaining electoral rolls into significant public discussion.

Why is electoral-roll revision important?

A reliable electoral roll is essential because only persons whose names are included in the electoral roll can ordinarily exercise the right to vote in an election.

However, deletion of genuine voters can have serious consequences because it may result in disenfranchisement.

Recent Issue: Internal functioning of the ECI

Election Commissioners Sukhbir Singh Sandhu and Vivek Joshi have formally raised objections on several occasions concerning decisions related to the SIR exercise. The reported objections included issues concerning addition/deletion/restoration of voters and access and management of electoral-roll data.

The report states that the disagreements also concerned the manner in which work was allocated within the Commission and the oversight of electoral-roll technology.

Constitutional significance

This raises an important UPSC question:

How should institutional independence, collective decision-making and administrative efficiency be balanced within a constitutional body?

The issue is particularly significant because the ECI is entrusted with ensuring free and fair elections, which are fundamental to representative democracy.

Legal Framework Governing Elections

Representation of the People Act, 1950

Primarily deals with:

  • Allocation of seats
  • Delimitation-related matters
  • Qualifications of voters
  • Electoral rolls
  • Registration of political parties in certain contexts

Representation of the People Act, 1951

Deals mainly with:

  • Conduct of elections
  • Qualifications/disqualifications of candidates
  • Corrupt practices
  • Election offences
  • Election disputes

Independence of the Election Commission

The Constitution provides safeguards to ensure the independence of the ECI.

Important provision

Under Article 324(5):

  • The CEC can be removed from office in a manner similar to a Supreme Court judge.
  • Other Election Commissioners can be removed by the President on the recommendation of the CEC.

This provides a higher degree of security of tenure to the CEC.

ECI vs State Election Commission

Election Commission of India

State Election Commission

Article 324

Articles 243K & 243ZA

Parliament and State Legislature elections

Panchayat and Municipal elections

President and Vice-President elections

Local-body elections

Constitutional body

Constitutional body

The ECI itself has noted that State Election Commissions are responsible for elections to Panchayats and Municipalities under Articles 243K and 243ZA.

Election Roll Revision and Aadhaar

The question of electoral-roll purification is also connected with the Aadhaar–Voter ID linkage.

The Election Laws (Amendment) Act, 2021 amended the Representation of the People Act, 1950, including provisions relating to furnishing Aadhaar information for authentication of electoral-roll entries.

The stated objective is to help identify:

  • Duplicate registrations
  • Multiple registrations
  • Incorrect electoral-roll entries

However, concerns have been raised regarding privacy, exclusion errors and the possibility of genuine voters being inadvertently removed.

Important: Aadhaar is fundamentally a proof of identity/residence and not proof of citizenship; therefore, Aadhaar-based verification by itself cannot establish citizenship for electoral eligibility.

Way Forward

  • Transparent procedures for addition and deletion of names
  • Adequate notice and opportunity to appeal
  • Effective grievance-redressal mechanisms
  • Stronger safeguards for electoral databases
  • Clear accountability within the ECI
  • Greater transparency in technological systems used for electoral management
  • Protection against inadvertent disenfranchisement

Quality Control and India’s Manufacturing Growth

What are Quality Control Orders (QCOs)?

A Quality Control Order is a regulatory mechanism through which the government makes compliance with specified Indian Standards (IS) mandatory for particular products.

QCOs are generally issued by the concerned Ministry/Department, while the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) plays a major role in developing standards and certification.

Purpose of QCOs

They aim to:

  • Ensure minimum quality standards
  • Protect consumers from substandard products
  • Prevent unsafe products from entering the market
  • Improve domestic manufacturing quality
  • Encourage technological upgrading
  • Make Indian products more competitive internationally

Why has the QCO issue become important?

India wants to transform itself into a major manufacturing and export hub.

For this, Indian firms need to:

Produce → meet global standards → integrate with Global Value Chains → export competitively

However, the editorial argues that the current QCO framework needs a reset so that quality regulation does not become an excessive compliance burden, particularly for smaller firms.

The objective should therefore be to combine:

Quality + Competitiveness + Ease of Doing Business

rather than treating them as competing objectives.

How can QCOs help Indian manufacturing?

  1. Better product quality

Mandatory standards can discourage the production and sale of inferior products.

  1. Consumer protection

Consumers receive products that meet prescribed safety and quality requirements.

  1. Import substitution

Quality standards can encourage domestic firms to develop capabilities to produce products that were previously imported.

  1. Export competitiveness

Internationally competitive manufacturing requires firms to meet stringent technical and quality standards.

  1. Technology upgrading

Compliance can push firms to adopt:

  • Better machinery
  • Improved production processes
  • Testing facilities
  • Modern quality-management systems

The problem: Regulation can also create costs

A QCO can become problematic when implementation is:

  • Too rapid
  • Too broad
  • Difficult for MSMEs
  • Expensive to comply with
  • Supported by inadequate testing infrastructure

For a large company, certification and testing costs may be manageable.

For a small MSME, however, these costs can be significant.

Therefore:

A standard designed to improve quality should not unintentionally reduce the number of firms capable of producing the product.

Impact on MSMEs

MSMEs are particularly important because they contribute significantly to:

  • Employment
  • Manufacturing
  • Regional industrialisation
  • Exports
  • Supply chains of larger companies

But smaller firms may face difficulties in:

  • Obtaining certification
  • Setting up testing facilities
  • Meeting documentation requirements
  • Understanding technical standards
  • Absorbing compliance costs

Result

If compliance becomes too expensive, smaller firms may:

Exit the market → reduce competition → increase concentration → raise production costs.

Therefore, QCO implementation needs to account for the capacity of MSMEs.

QCOs and Global Value Chains

Modern manufacturing is organised through Global Value Chains (GVCs).

A product may involve:

Design → components → assembly → testing → packaging → distribution

across multiple countries.

For India to become an important manufacturing hub, Indian firms must be able to integrate into these international production networks.

This requires:

  • Internationally compatible standards
  • Reliable quality
  • Competitive costs
  • Efficient logistics
  • Skilled labour
  • Stable regulations

The editorial specifically stresses the need for Indian firms to grow, integrate into global value chains and compete internationally.



QCOs and India's export ambitions

India is increasingly attempting to expand exports in sectors such as:

  • Electronics
  • Engineering goods
  • Pharmaceuticals
  • Automobiles and components
  • Textiles
  • Chemicals
  • Machinery

But having a domestic manufacturing base is not sufficient.

Indian products must also be:

Globally competitive in price + quality + reliability + delivery.

Therefore, quality regulation should ultimately help Indian firms move from:

Low-value production → higher-value manufacturing → globally competitive production.

QCOs and Trade Policy

QCOs also have an international trade dimension.

Technical standards can sometimes function as Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) if they unnecessarily restrict imports.

Under the WTO Agreement on Technical Barriers to Trade, countries can adopt legitimate standards for objectives such as:

  • Protection of human health
  • Safety
  • Environment
  • Prevention of deceptive practices

But such measures should not create unnecessary obstacles to international trade.

What should India do?

A balanced approach could include:

  1. Phased implementation

Give industries sufficient time to comply with new standards.

  1. Support MSMEs

Provide:

  • Financial assistance
  • Technical assistance
  • Training
  • Shared testing facilities
  1. Strengthen testing infrastructure

India needs more reliable and accessible laboratories and certification facilities.

  1. Regulatory predictability

Industries should receive adequate advance notice before standards become mandatory.

  1. International harmonisation

Where appropriate, Indian standards should be aligned with internationally accepted standards.

  1. Risk-based regulation

High-risk products may require stricter controls, while low-risk products can have proportionate requirements.

  1. Encourage innovation

Standards should improve quality without unnecessarily preventing new technologies and innovative products from entering the market.

Connection with Make in India

The broader objective of India’s manufacturing policy is not merely “Make in India”, but:

“Make competitively in India and sell to the world.”

Therefore, industrial policy needs to simultaneously address:

Quality standards
↓
Manufacturing capability
↓
Competitive costs
↓
Global Value Chain integration
↓
Exports

India rejects OIC remarks on Jammu & Kashmir

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is in the news after its Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir met on the sidelines of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York. The group reiterated its position on Jammu and Kashmir, following which India rejected the references as unwarranted and factually incorrect. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the OIC has no locus standi on matters that are internal to India

What is the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation?

The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is an intergovernmental organisation representing Muslim-majority and other member states.

It seeks to promote cooperation among its members in areas such as:

  • Political and diplomatic cooperation
  • Economic and trade cooperation
  • Social and cultural affairs
  • Science and technology
  • Humanitarian issues
  • Protection of interests of member states

Headquarters

Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Important fact

The OIC has 57 member states, making it one of the largest intergovernmental organisations after the United Nations.

Why is OIC in the news?

The OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir met in New York during the UN General Assembly session.

The Contact Group consists of:

  • Pakistan
  • Türkiye
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Azerbaijan
  • Niger

The group reaffirmed its position concerning Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar also addressed the meeting and called for continued OIC support for Pakistan’s position on Jammu and Kashmir.

India’s response

India rejected the OIC Contact Group’s references to Jammu and Kashmir.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that:

  • The OIC has no locus standi to comment on matters that India regards as strictly internal.
  • Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh are integral parts of India according to India’s stated position.
  • India described the OIC’s references as unwarranted and factually incorrect.

Why is this important?

This reflects India’s broader diplomatic position that bilateral issues involving India and Pakistan should not be internationalised through third-party platforms.

What is the OIC Contact Group?

The OIC Contact Group on Jammu and Kashmir is a mechanism within the OIC focusing specifically on the Jammu and Kashmir issue.

It has been used by OIC members to coordinate their diplomatic position on the issue.

Members

Pakistan + Türkiye + Saudi Arabia + Azerbaijan + Niger

This is different from the OIC as a whole.

Prelims Trap

OIC = 57-member organisation
OIC Contact Group on J&K = smaller group dealing specifically with J&K

India’s relationship with OIC

India is not a member of the OIC.

However, India has important relations with many OIC member countries.

For example:

  • UAE
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Indonesia
  • Türkiye
  • Qatar
  • Egypt
  • Bangladesh

These countries are important to India in:

  • Trade
  • Energy security
  • Investment
  • Diaspora relations
  • Maritime security
  • Counter-terrorism
  • West Asia diplomacy

Therefore, India has to engage with individual OIC member states even though it is not an OIC member.

India and the OIC: Important background

India has historically objected to OIC statements concerning Jammu and Kashmir.

India’s concerns broadly include:

① Internal matters

India maintains that matters concerning Jammu and Kashmir are internal matters and rejects external intervention.

② Pakistan’s role

India has repeatedly criticised Pakistan for using international and multilateral platforms to raise the Kashmir issue.

③ Terrorism

India also links its diplomatic position to concerns regarding cross-border terrorism and Pakistan-based terrorist groups.

In the latest response, the MEA specifically advised the OIC to address terrorism emanating from territory under Pakistan’s control.

Why is this important for India's foreign policy?

The issue illustrates India’s approach towards multilateral diplomacy.

India simultaneously works through:

UN → G20 → BRICS → SCO → Quad → bilateral partnerships

while also maintaining relations with individual countries belonging to organisations such as the OIC.

This reflects India’s emphasis on strategic autonomy and issue-based partnerships.

OIC and the Global South

The OIC is significant because many of its members belong to the Global South.

For India, relations with these countries matter because of:

Energy

West Asian OIC countries are major suppliers of:

  • Crude oil
  • Natural gas

Diaspora

A large Indian diaspora lives in several Gulf countries.

Trade

India has substantial trade relations with countries such as:

  • UAE
  • Saudi Arabia
  • Indonesia
  • Qatar

Maritime interests

The Gulf, Arabian Sea, Red Sea and Indian Ocean are important for India’s trade and energy security.

OIC and UN

The current issue is particularly significant because the Contact Group meeting took place on the sidelines of the 81st UN General Assembly session.

This shows how regional and international organisations can use UN platforms to raise political issues.

Key Concept: Locus Standi

What does “locus standi” mean?

It refers to the legal or institutional standing/authority to raise or adjudicate a particular matter.

When India says that the OIC has “no locus standi”, India is essentially arguing that the organisation has no legitimate authority to pronounce upon matters that India considers its internal affairs.

Prelims vocabulary:

Locus standi = legal/institutional standing to participate in or raise a matter.

MoD inks ₹811-crore contract for 160 SAT-SAAW glide bombs for IAF

The Ministry of Defence has signed a ₹810.79-crore contract with Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL) for the procurement of 160 Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapons (SAT-SAAW) and associated equipment for the Indian Air Force (IAF). The contract has been placed under the Buy (Indian–Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured) category.

 

What is SAT-SAAW?

SAT-SAAW = Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon.

It is an air-to-ground precision-guided glide weapon designed to attack important infrastructure associated with enemy airfields from a stand-off range.

In simple terms:

Aircraft launches weapon from a distance → weapon glides towards the designated target → precision guidance enables accurate strike.

The system has been designed and developed by DRDO. It can be carried by platforms including the Jaguar, Hawk and Su-30 MKI.

What is a "glide bomb"?

A conventional free-fall bomb largely follows a ballistic trajectory after being released.

A glide bomb, in contrast, uses aerodynamic lift to travel towards its target after release.

When combined with a guidance system, it becomes a precision-guided glide weapon.

Advantage

The launching aircraft does not necessarily have to fly directly over the target.

This provides a stand-off attack capability, which can improve the survivability of the launching aircraft.

What is an Anti-Airfield Weapon?

The primary purpose is to disable or damage airfield infrastructure.

Potential targets can include:

  • Runways
  • Aircraft shelters
  • Other critical airfield infrastructure

The strategic objective is to reduce the enemy’s ability to operate aircraft from an airbase.

Therefore, SAT-SAAW is relevant to air superiority and suppression of enemy air operations.



Why is the current contract important?

The Ministry of Defence has ordered 160 SAT-SAAW systems for the IAF.

Contract value

₹810.79 crore

Supplier

Bharat Dynamics Limited (BDL)

User

Indian Air Force

Developer

DRDO

Procurement category

Buy (Indian–Indigenously Designed, Developed and Manufactured)

Deliveries are scheduled for 2027–28 and 2028–29.

Indigenous content

The SAT-SAAW system has around 60% indigenous content.

The programme also involves indigenisation of important subsystems, including:

  • Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU)
  • Long Impact Delay Fuse
  • Twin Store Carrier

This is important in the context of India’s effort to reduce dependence on imported defence equipment.

Connection with Atmanirbhar Bharat

The procurement is significant for India’s defence indigenisation programme.

The broader objective is:

Domestic R&D
↓
Indigenous design
↓
Domestic manufacturing
↓
Reduced import dependence
↓
Defence-industrial capability
↓
Potential export capability

This also strengthens the role of Indian public-sector and private-sector defence industries.

Role of DRDO and BDL

DRDO

Defence Research and Development Organisation

Its role is primarily research, development and technological design for India’s defence requirements.

Bharat Dynamics Limited

BDL is a defence public-sector undertaking involved in the manufacturing and production of defence systems.

Important distinction for Prelims

DRDO → develops technology
BDL → manufactures/produces defence systems under contracts

The two therefore play complementary roles in the defence production ecosystem.

What is stand-off capability?

Stand-off range means that the attacking platform can launch a weapon while remaining at a relatively greater distance from the target.

Why is it important?

It can:

  • Reduce exposure of aircraft to enemy air defences
  • Increase survivability of the launching platform
  • Allow attacks on defended targets
  • Improve operational flexibility

Thus, stand-off weapons are an important component of modern air warfare.

SAT-SAAW and India’s defence preparedness

Modern warfare increasingly depends on:

  • Precision-guided munitions
  • Long-range weapons
  • Network-centric warfare
  • Intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance
  • Electronic warfare
  • Unmanned systems

SAT-SAAW contributes to India’s capability in precision air-to-ground operations.

It is therefore relevant to the broader modernisation of the IAF.

Important Facts

Feature

SAT-SAAW

Full form

Satellite Smart Anti-Airfield Weapon

Type

Air-to-ground precision-guided glide weapon

Developer

DRDO

Manufacturer/contractor

Bharat Dynamics Ltd.

User

Indian Air Force

Current order

160 weapons

Contract value

₹810.79 crore

Indigenous content

About 60%

Procurement category

Buy (Indian–IDDM)

Platforms

Jaguar, Hawk, Su-30 MKI

Key capability

Stand-off precision attack

Delivery

2027–28 and 2028–29

OECD raises India’s growth forecast to 7.1% for 2026–27

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) has raised its forecast for India’s real GDP growth in 2026–27 to 7.1%, from its earlier 6.3% projection in June 2026. The revision comes amid stronger-than-expected economic activity and resilient domestic demand.

What is the OECD?

OECD = Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development

It is an international organisation that works on:

  • Economic policy
  • Trade and investment
  • Taxation
  • Employment
  • Education
  • Productivity
  • Sustainable development
  • Governance and regulatory policies

Headquarters

Paris, France

The OECD was established in 1961.

Important Prelims fact

India is NOT an OECD member.

India has been an OECD Key Partner since 2007 and participates in selected OECD committees and programmes.

What has the OECD said about India?

The OECD has significantly revised India’s growth outlook:

Indicator

OECD projection

Earlier FY2026–27 forecast

6.3%

New FY2026–27 forecast

7.1%

FY2027–28 forecast

6.5%

FY2025–26 growth

7.8%

Thus, the latest revision represents an 80-basis-point upward revision from the June forecast.

What is a basis point?

100 basis points = 1 percentage point

Therefore:

7.1% − 6.3% = 0.8 percentage point = 80 basis points

Why has the OECD raised India's growth forecast?

  1. Resilient domestic demand

India’s large domestic market has provided an important buffer against external shocks.

Domestic demand includes:

  • Private consumption
  • Government expenditure
  • Investment

The OECD specifically highlighted resilient domestic demand as one of the factors supporting India’s growth.

  1. Government policy support

Government measures have helped cushion households and firms from the effects of higher energy prices.

This is particularly important because geopolitical disruptions in West Asia can affect:

Oil prices → import bill → inflation → household purchasing power → consumption

Policy support can partly reduce this transmission.

  1. Stronger-than-expected economic activity

India recorded 7.8% real GDP growth in Q1 of FY2026–27, contributing to the improved outlook. Other major institutions have also revised their India forecasts upward.

Global context — West Asia crisis

The current forecast needs to be understood against the backdrop of higher energy prices and geopolitical uncertainty.

India is a major importer of crude oil.

Therefore:

Geopolitical conflict
↓
Higher crude oil prices
↓
Higher import expenditure
↓
Current account pressure + inflationary pressure
↓
Pressure on household purchasing power

Despite these risks, the OECD sees India’s domestic demand and government support as important buffers.

Why could growth slow later?

The OECD expects India’s growth to moderate to 6.5% in 2027–28.

Some factors that could reduce momentum include:

  • Higher energy prices
  • Weaker purchasing power
  • Global trade uncertainty
  • Higher production costs
  • Fading effects of some recent fiscal measures

The OECD therefore does not imply that the 7.1% growth rate will continue indefinitely.



GST rationalisation and income-tax measures

The current growth outlook is also linked to recent domestic policy measures.

Measures affecting taxation can influence:

Consumption

Lower tax burden → higher disposable income → potentially higher consumption.

Business activity

Simplified taxation → lower compliance costs → potentially greater economic activity.

However, these effects can be temporary or transitional, which is one reason growth may moderate later.

Inflation outlook

The OECD expects India’s inflation to average around 4.7% in 2026.

This is important because inflation affects:

  • Real household income
  • Private consumption
  • Interest rates
  • Investment
  • Monetary policy

If energy prices remain elevated, inflationary pressures could become stronger.

Compare different institutions

Institution

FY2026–27 India growth forecast

OECD

7.1%

S&P Global

7.0%

Moody’s

7.0%

ADB

7.0%

Fitch Ratings

6.9%

RBI

6.7%

These forecasts are projections, not actual growth outcomes, and can change as economic conditions evolve.

OECD vs IMF vs World Bank

Do not confuse these institutions.

OECD

IMF

World Bank

Economic policy cooperation

Global monetary & financial stability

Development & poverty reduction

Headquarters: Paris

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C.

Policy research & standards

Balance-of-payments support

Development financing

India = Key Partner

India = Member

India = Member

Why is OECD important for India?

India works with the OECD on areas including:

  • Economic policy
  • Corporate governance
  • Anti-corruption
  • Trade and investment
  • Productivity
  • Sustainable development
  • Connectivity

The OECD describes India as a Key Partner since 2007.

What does this tell us about India's growth model?

The latest OECD assessment highlights the importance of domestic demand in India’s growth resilience.

India’s growth is supported by:

Private consumption
+
Investment
+
Government expenditure
+
Services
+
Manufacturing activity

However, sustained high growth requires addressing structural constraints such as:

  • Low female labour-force participation
  • Skill shortages
  • Infrastructure gaps
  • Informality
  • Barriers to integration into global value chains

The OECD has specifically identified these as structural constraints on India’s productivity and growth potential.

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