UPSC Prelims Current Affairs for 12 October 2025

by Vajiram & Ravi - 12 October 2025

Vajiram & Ravi provides Daily UPSC Prelims Current Affairs for 12 October 2025, tailored for aspirants. We cover all relevant news and events crucial for the exam, ensuring you stay updated & well-prepared.

Sugamya Bharat App

October 12, 2025
Sugamya Bharat App

Sugamya Bharat App Latest News

Recently, the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India, launched the revamped ‘Sugamya Bharat App’ at the Purple Fest in Goa.

About Sugamya Bharat App

  • It was launched under the Accessible India Campaign (Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan).
  • It is a flagship initiative of the Government of India dedicated to enhancing accessibility for divyangjan and elderly citizens in India.
  • Purpose: The app served as a citizen-led platform to make India’s public spaces more inclusive.
  • Launched by: Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPwD), under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Key Features of Sugamya Bharat App

  • Accessibility Mapping Function: It allows users to locate and rate public places on accessibility parameters, empowering community-led data collection.
  • Consolidated Directory: It provides a one-stop platform for government schemes, scholarships, benefits, and employment opportunities, eliminating the need to navigate multiple portals.
  • Curated Job and Education Listings: It also features job and education listings from government and private sectors tailored for persons with disabilities.
  • Grievance Redressal Module: It enables users to directly register complaints about inaccessible infrastructure and services, making public spaces more accountable.
  • Inclusive Design: It is compatible with assistive technologies, available in multiple Indian languages, and optimized for both Android and iOS platforms.
  • It is revamped to AI-powered chatbot support to assist users in real time.
  • It is available in 10 languages

Source: PIB

Sugamya Bharat App FAQs

Q1: Which ministry launched the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan?

Ans: Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment

Q2: What is the aim of the Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan?

Ans: To create a barrier-free environment for persons with disabilities.

Keratoconus

October 12, 2025
Keratoconus

Keratoconus Latest News

A recent study has revealed that the treatment of keratoconus, a condition that threatens vision, can worsen even after treatment.

About Keratoconus

  • It is a vision disorder that occurs when the normally round cornea (the front part of the eye) becomes thin and irregular (cone) shaped. 
  • This abnormal shape prevents the light entering the eye from being focused correctly on the retina and causes distortion of vision.
  • Keratoconus often starts when people are in their late teens to early 20s. 
  • The vision symptoms slowly get worse over a period of about 10 to 20 years.
  • It often affects both eyes and can lead to very different vision between the two eyes.
  • Symptoms can differ in each eye, and they can change over time.
  • Treatment and Prevention: 
    • There is no known prevention for keratoconus.
    • Early stages can be treated with glasses, but with progression of the disease into late childhood and early adulthood, corneal transplantation may be needed to restore sight.
    • Corneal collagen cross-linking is a procedure designed to stop the progression of keratoconus or slow it down.

Source: TOI

Keratoconus FAQs

Q1: What part of the eye is primarily affected in Keratoconus?

Ans: Cornea

Q2: In which age group does Keratoconus most commonly begin?

Ans: Keratoconus often starts when people are in their late teens to early 20s.

Q3: Which treatment option is used to stop or slow down the progression of Keratoconus?

Ans: Corneal collagen cross-linking is a procedure designed to stop the progression of keratoconus or slow it down.

Green Sea Turtle

October 12, 2025
Green Sea Turtle

Green Sea Turtle Latest News

According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) the Red List status of the green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) has improved from Endangered to Least Concern due to sustained conservation.

About Green Sea Turtle

  • It is the largest hard-shelled sea turtle.
  • The common name of this species refers to the usually green fat found beneath its carapace, not to the color of its carapace, which is olive to black.
  • Food: The diet of Green sea turtles changes with age. Juveniles are carnivorous, but as they mature they become omnivorous.
  • Green turtles serve as keystone species in tropical marine ecosystems.
  • Distribution: The species is found in tropical and subtropical waters around the globe.

Features of Green Sea Turtle

  • They have a comparatively small head.
  • They do not have teeth, but their jaws have modified “beaks” suited to their particular diet.
  • They do not have visible ears but have eardrums covered by skin. They hear best at low frequencies, and their sense of smell is excellent.
  • They spend almost all their lives underwater and come out of the water only when nesting. 
  • Lifespan: Estimated to be 60-70 years.
  • Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern

Source: DTE

Green Sea Turtle FAQs

Q1: How long are Green Sea Turtles estimated to live?

Ans: 60-70 years.

Q2: Where are Green Sea Turtles mainly found?

Ans: Tropical and subtropical waters globally

Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme

October 12, 2025
Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme

Research Development and Innovation Scheme Latest News

Recently, the Executive Council of the Anusandhan National Research Foundation approved the establishment of a special purpose fund (SPF) for the Research Development and Innovation Scheme (RDI) scheme.

About Research Development and Innovation Scheme

  • It aims to provide long-term financing or refinancing with long tenors at low or nil interest rates to spur private sector investment in Research Development and Innovation.
  • Nodal Department: The Department of Science & Technology (DST)

Key Objectives of the Research Development and Innovation Scheme

  • Encourage the private sector to scale up research, development, and innovation (RDI) in sunrise domains and in other sectors relevant for economic security, strategic purpose, and self-reliance;
  • Finance transformative projects at higher levels of Technology Readiness Levels (TRL)
  • Support acquisition of technologies which are critical or of high strategic importance;
  • Facilitate setting up of a Deep-Tech Fund of Funds.
  • Governance: The Governing Board of Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), chaired by the Prime Minister, will provide overarching strategic direction to the RDI Scheme. 

Funding Mechanism of Research Development and Innovation Scheme

  • Total Budget: ₹1 Lakh crore
  • Implementation Structure
    • Special Purpose Fund (SPF): It will be established within the Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF), which will serve as the custodian of the ₹1 lakh crore corpus. (Fund will not directly invest in industries and startups but will channel capital to Second-level fund managers)
    • Second-level fund managers: Who can be Alternative Investment Funds (AIF), Development Finance Institutions (DFI), Non-banking Finance Companies (NBFCs).
  • Modes of Financing
    • Long-term loan at low or nil interest rates.
    • Financing in the form of equity may also be done, especially in case of startups.

Source: PIB

Research Development and Innovation Scheme FAQ's

Q1: What is the primary objective of the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme?

Ans: To promote private sector investment in R&D.

Q2: What is the corpus of the Research Development and Innovation (RDI) Scheme?

Ans: ₹1 lakh crore

Q3: Which institution will act as the custodian of funds under the RDI Scheme?

Ans: Anusandhan National Research Foundation (ANRF).

Siddi Tribal Community

October 12, 2025
Siddi Tribal Community

Siddi Tribal Community Latest News

Recently, the President of India expressed happiness that the Siddi tribal community, a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group, has achieved a literacy rate of over 72 per cent.

About Siddi Tribal Community

  • The Siddi community is an Indo-African tribal community that descended from the Bantu community of Africa.
  • Origin: It is believed that they first came to India in the 7th century with Arab merchants and in the 16th century with the Portuguese and British, largely as slaves, servants, blacksmiths, carpenters and masons.
  • Distribution: In the present day, the majority of them are found in the west and southwest of India, in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Telangana states.
  • Present Status: In India, the Union government on January 8, 2003, classified Siddis under the list of Scheduled Tribes. They are included in the Centre’s list of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups.
  • Occupation: Traditional dependence on agriculture, forest produce, and manual labor
  • Language: They speak either Konkani, Urdu or Marathi as their main language.
  • Culture: They are known for their folk music and dances, such as Dhamal and Rasda, with men performing the Dhamal dance.

Source: News On AirSiddi Tribal Community

Siddi Tribal Community FAQs

Q1: Where are the Siddis primarily concentrated in India?

Ans: Karnataka and Gujarat

Q2: What initiatives have been taken by the government for the welfare of the Siddi community?

Ans: Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya MahaAbhiyan (PM JANMAN) and Traditional Tribal Handicraft Mela Scheme.

Qubit

October 12, 2025
Qubit

Qubit Latest News

Caltech has built the world’s largest neutral-atom qubit array—6,100 qubits—pushing quantum computers closer to error correction and full-scale computation.

About Qubit

  • A qubit, or quantum bit, is the basic unit of information used to encode data in quantum computing.
  • It can be best understood as the quantum equivalent of the traditional bit used by classical computers to encode information in binary.
    • In classical computing the information is encoded in bits, where each bit can have the value zero or one. 
    • In quantum computing the information is encoded in qubits. A qubit is a two-level quantum system where the two basis qubit states are usually written as ∣0⟩ and  ∣1⟩.
    • A qubit can be in state ∣0⟩, ∣1⟩, or (unlike a classical bit) in a linear combination of both states. 
    • The name of this phenomenon is superposition.
  • The term “qubit” is attributed to American theoretical physicist Benjamin Schumacher. 
  • Qubits are generally, although not exclusively, created by manipulating and measuring quantum particles (the smallest known building blocks of the physical universe), such as photons, electrons, trapped ions, superconducting circuits and atoms.
  • Enabled by the unique properties of quantum mechanics, quantum computers use qubits to store more data than traditional bits, vastly improve cryptographic systems and perform very advanced computations that would take thousands of years (or be impossible) for even classical supercomputers to complete.

Source: STD

Qubit FAQs

Q1: What is a qubit in quantum computing?

Ans: A qubit, or quantum bit, is the basic unit of information used to encode data in quantum computing.

Q2: In classical computing, what possible values can a bit take?

Ans: 0 or 1

Q3: In quantum computing, what unique property allows a qubit to exist in multiple states at once?

Ans: Superposition

Hwasong-20

October 12, 2025
Hwasong-20

Hwasong-20 Latest News

North Korea recently unveiled its latest and most powerful intercontinental ballistic missile Hwasong-20 at a military parade presided over by the country’s leader Kim Jong Un.

About Hwasong-20

  • It is an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by North Korea.
  • The engine used in the missile is a solid-fuel engine and is made up of carbon fiber composite materials. 
    • Solid-fueled rockets can be moved more easily and fired more quickly, in a matter of minutes, than liquid-fueled versions, making them harder to defend against
  • It has a range of over 15,000 km.
  • It is equipped with an advanced guidance system that combines an inertial guidance system (INS) with GPS or optical sensors for enhanced accuracy.

What is an Intercontinental Ballistic Missile (ICBM)?

  • It is a land-based, nuclear-armed ballistic missile with a range of more than 3,500 miles (5,600 km).
  • The first ICBMs were deployed by the Soviet Union in 1958; the United States followed the next year and China some 20 years later.
  • ICBMs can be launched from silos underground, mobile launchers on land, or submarines at sea. 
  • Countries having operational ICBMs: Russia, United States, China, France, India,  United Kingdom, Israel and North Korea.

Source: NOA

Hwasong-20 FAQs

Q1: What type of missile is the Hwasong-20?

Ans: Intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM)

Q2: Which country developed the Hwasong-20 missile?

Ans: North Korea

Q3: What is the approximate range of the Hwasong-20 missile?

Ans: Over 15,000 km.

Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

October 12, 2025
Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)

Monetary Policy Committee Latest News

Reserve Bank of India (RBI) recently appointed Indranil Bhattacharyya, executive director, as a member of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

About Monetary Policy Committee

  • Monetary policy refers to the use of monetary instruments under the control of the central bank to regulate magnitudes such as interest rates, money supply, and availability of credit with a view to achieving the ultimate objective of economic policy.
  • The RBI is vested with the responsibility of conducting monetary policy. This responsibility is explicitly mandated under the Reserve Bank of India Act, 1934.
  • The primary objective of monetary policy is to maintain price stability while keeping in mind the objective of growth. Price stability is a necessary precondition to sustainable growth.
  • In May 2016, the RBI Act, 1934, was amended to provide a statutory basis for the implementation of the flexible inflation targeting framework.
  • The amended RBI Act also provides for the inflation target to be set by the government of India, in consultation with the Reserve Bank, once in every five years.
  • The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) constituted by the central government under Section 45ZB determines the policy interest rate required to achieve the inflation target.
  • Function: The MPC is entrusted with the task of fixing the benchmark policy rate (repo rate) required to contain inflation within the specified target level. 
  • The MPC replaced the previous arrangement of the Technical Advisory Committee.
  • Composition:
    • MPC will have six members: the RBI Governor (Chairperson), the RBI Deputy Governor in charge of monetary policy, one official nominated by the RBI Board, and the remaining three members would represent the Government of India.
    • The external members hold office for a period of four years.
  • The quorum for a meeting shall be four Members, at least one of whom shall be the Governor and, in his absence, the Deputy Governor, who is the Member of the MPC.
  • The MPC takes decisions based on a majority vote. In case of a tie, the RBI governor will have the second or casting vote.
  • The decision of the MPC would be binding on the RBI.
  • RBI’s Monetary Policy Department (MPD) assists the MPC in formulating the monetary policy.
  • The MPC is required to meet at least four times in a year.

Source: LM

Monetary Policy Committee FAQs

Q1: Who sets India’s inflation target?

Ans: Government of India in consultation with RBI

Q2: How many members are there in the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC)?

Ans: 6

Q3: Who chairs the Monetary Policy Committee?

Ans: RBI Governor

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