Important topics and their relevance in UPSC CSE exam for October 8, 2025. If you missed the October 7, 2025, UPSC CSE exam key from the Indian Express, read it here.Preliminary Examination: Indian Polity and Governance – Constitution, Political System, Panchayati Raj, Public Policy, Rights IssuesMains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.What’s the ongoing story: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer is coming to India on Wednesday for a two-day bilateral visit, his first since he assumed office in July 2024. He will hold bilateral talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and attend the Global Fintech summit in Mumbai.Key Points to Ponder:— How has the India-UK relationship evolved in the past?— What are the areas of cooperation between India and the UK?— What is the significance of the India-UK Free Trade Agreement?— The Indian diaspora is called the “living bridge” between India and the UK. Elaborate.— What is the India-UK Vision 2035 document?Key Takeaways:Story continues below this ad— This is a reciprocal visit by the British PM, after Modi travelled to the UK in July this year and they signed the Free Trade Agreement (FTA).— The FTA has the stamp of a bipartisan consensus in the UK — and that tells the story of India-UK ties broadly.— In the current global environment, where US President Donald Trump’s disruptive approach has created uncertainties, India and the UK have the opportunity to be reliable and predictable partners.— The Indian diaspora forms about 2.6% of the UK population, contributing to academia, literature, science, business, and politics. More than 65,000 companies in the UK are owned by the Indian diaspora, and these contribute heavily to job creation, local economic growth, and taxes. And this is called the “living bridge” between the two countries.Story continues below this ad— Then during PM Modi’s visit to the UK in July, a Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), the Vision 2035 document, as well as a new Defence Industrial Roadmap were signed.— The key pillars of India-UK Vision 2035 include growth and jobs in the UK and India, education and skills partnership to nurture the next generation of global talent, developing cutting-edge technology and research, and strengthening resilience, defence and security co-operation.— Economic Cooperation: The India–UK FTA brings together the world’s 5th and 6th largest economies.— Bilateral trade (both goods and services) stood at around USD 56 billion during 2024 with imports at around 17 billion and exports at around 26 billion pounds. Total bilateral trade in goods is around 18 billion pounds while trade in services is around 25 billion pounds in 2024. Now, the bilateral trade is projected to double by 2030.Story continues below this ad— The FTA is expected to give Indian businesses more competitive market access in focus sectors like textiles, leather, footwear, sports goods and toys, gems and jewellery, engineering goods, auto parts and engines.— Defence cooperation: A Defence Industrial Roadmap for collaboration in co-design, co-development and co-production of defence products is expected to meet the growing demand in both countries, as well as cater to the world market. A key area the two countries are working towards is jet engines.— Education: The number of Indian students in the UK is around 170,000. Various UK universities are planning to establish campuses in India, including the University of Southampton coming to Gurugram, making it the first foreign university to set up a campus under the New Education Policy.— Research and Innovation: An India-UK Science and Innovation Council (SIC) is held once every two years to develop bilateral relationships in science, technology and innovation.Story continues below this ad— The UK is India’s second largest international research and innovation partner with a joint research programme pegged at £300-400 million. An MoU was signed in April 2023 for wider cooperation, especially in quantum technology, clean energy, pandemic preparedness, AI and machine learning.— Film co-production framework: An updated co-production framework is expected to help Indian and UK producers access incentives in both markets. It supports jobs for crews, VFX and post production, and helps stories travel to wider audiences. Significantly, Trump recently said he would impose 100 per cent tariffs on all movies made outside of the US.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:Keir Starmer comes to India: An uptick in Delhi-London cooperation UPSC Prelims Practice Question Covering similar theme:(1) Consider the following statements:Statement 1: The India-UK Free Trade Agreement (FTA) ensures comprehensive market access for goods across all sectors, covering all of India’s export interests.Story continues below this adStatement 2: India will benefit from tariff elimination on approximately 99 per cent of tariff lines, covering nearly 100 per cent of trade value.Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?(a) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is the correct explanation for Statement 1.(b) Both Statement 1 and Statement 2 are correct and Statement 2 is not the correct explanation for Statement 1.(c) Statement 1 is correct but Statement 2 is incorrect.(d) Statement 1 is incorrect but Statement 2 is correct Story continues below this adFRONTIndia sides with Taliban, Pakistan & China, slams Trump bid to take over Bagram baseSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importanceMains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interestsWhat’s the ongoing story: In an unexpected turn of events, India has joined the Taliban, Pakistan, China and Russia to oppose US President Donald Trump’s bid to take over the Bagram air base in Afghanistan. This comes days before the scheduled visit of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi later this week.Key Points to Ponder:— Know about the location of Bagram air base— Which countries have officially recognised Taliban-ruled Afghanistan?— Trace the evolution of India-Afghanistan relationship— What are the challenges in the India-Afghanistan relationship?— Afghan soil is not used as a threat to the security of the neighboring countries and beyond. Why is it significant for India?— What is the United Nations Security Council Consolidated List?Key Takeaways:Story continues below this ad— While not naming Bagram, a sharply worded joint statement issued by participants of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan said on Tuesday: “They (the participants) called unacceptable the attempts by countries to deploy their military infrastructure in Afghanistan and neighboring states, since this does not serve the interests of regional peace and stability.”— The seventh meeting of the Moscow Format Consultations on Afghanistan was held in Moscow at the level of special representatives and senior officials of Afghanistan, India, Iran, Kazakhstan, China, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. A delegation from Belarus also attended the meeting as guests.— “For the first time, the Afghan delegation headed by Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi participated in the meeting as a member,” the statement said.— Trump has demanded that Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban hand over the country’s Bagram air base to Washington, five years after he signed a deal with the group that paved the way for the US withdrawal from Kabul.— Quite predictably, the Taliban have rejected Trump’s demand, with chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid saying: “Afghans will never allow their land to be handed over to anyone under any circumstances”.— As India gets ready to host the Taliban foreign minister, it has taken a rare step in opposing the US President on his plan. While India is still to grant official recognition to Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, it has been providing humanitarian and development works assistance.— Now, interestingly, Delhi has joined in to oppose Trump’s plan, ahead of Muttaqi’s first visit to India — a historic first for a Taliban foreign minister.— “They supported the active integration of Afghanistan into the system of regional connectivity,” the joint statement said, again from India’s perspective, a message to the US that has removed the sanctions waiver on the Chabahar port in Iran, used to access Afghanistan from Delhi.Do You Know:— The Bagram air base, which has two concrete runways (one is 3.6 km, the other 3 km), lies about 50 km outside Kabul. Afghanistan’s rugged, mountainous terrain makes controlling its airspace difficult, with few places suitable for landing large military planes and weapons carriers.— During the Soviet-Afghan War from 1979-89, Bagram became a vital Soviet base against the mujahideens. After the Soviet withdrawal in the 1990s, the abandoned Bagram base became a frontline in a war between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance fighters.— After September 11, 2001, the US and its allies took over, as they toppled the Taliban regime. Over the next two decades, as the “War on Terror” raged on, Bagram became the epicentre of the American presence in Afghanistan.ALSO READ | Knowledge Nugget: India slams Pakistan at UNSC with ‘Operation Searchlight’ reference — A lesson in diplomacy for UPSC aspirants— The base was expanded to over 77 sq km and a new, improved runway was constructed, as were medical facilities and fast food joints for US personnel. A disused hangar was used as a detention facility, and drew comparisons to the Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba due to reports of torture and abuse by US soldiers.— The first Trump administration (2017-21) in 2020 signed a deal with the Taliban, which provided for a pullout of all NATO troops from Afghanistan soil after two decades. Over the next year, the Taliban gained ground.— The final American aircraft took off from the Kabul airport on August 30, 2021. US forces had vacated Bagram on July 2; the base fell to the Taliban on August 15.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:Why Trump has again demanded control over Afghanistan’s Bagram air basePrevious year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:(2) Consider the following countries :1. Azerbaijan2. Kyrgyzstan3. Tajikistan4. Turkmenistan5. UzbekistanWhich of the above have borders with Afghanistan?(a) 1, 2 and 5 only(b) 1, 2, 3 and 4 only(c) 3, 4 and 5 only(d) 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:The proposed withdrawal of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) from Afghanistan in 2014 is fraught with major security implications for the countries of the region. Examine in light of the fact that India is faced with a plethora of challenges and needs to safeguard its own strategic interests. (UPSC CSE 2013)GOVT & POLITICSEnumerator can’t decide citizenship: Petitioners cite EC’s 2003 guidelines Syllabus:Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importanceMains Examination: General Studies-II: Constitution of India —historical underpinnings, evolution, features, amendments, significant provisions and basic structure.What’s the ongoing story: Citing the Election Commission’s guidelines for the 2003 intensive revision of electoral rolls, which said enumerators were not supposed to determine citizenship of electors, the petitioners who have challenged the EC’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of rolls in Bihar told the Supreme Court on Tuesday that the 2003 exercise was fundamentally different from the SIR and could not be used as a precedent.Key Points to Ponder:— What is SIR?— What are the constitutional provisions related to citizenship in India?— Who is a citizen?— How can one acquire a citizenship of India?— Who has the power to make changes to the citizenship act?— How is SIR different from the Intensive Revision of 2003?Key Takeaways:— The petitioners, including the Association for Democratic Reforms, represented by lawyer Prashant Bhushan made a written submission, which included a copy of the guidelines for the 2003 intensive revision (IR) that the EC had not made public so far. They cited The Indian Express report on August 23 that carried details of the 2003 guidelines.— As per the guidelines, enumerators, who are now called Booth Level Officers, were tasked with going house-to-house to enter the names of eligible electors in 2003.— In the SIR, the BLOs were required to go house-to-house and provide a new enumeration form to the electors to submit to remain on the rolls, something which was not the case in 2003. — At that time the enumerator used to fill out the details of the members of a household on a “record of enumeration” signed by the head of the household.— In 2003, all electors were not required to submit documents, but enumerators could ask for proof in case of a family shifting to a locality from another part of the country or if they had a doubt about age or ordinary residence.— They said while Bihar’s adult population was estimated to be 8.22 crore in 2025, the number of electors was 7.42 crore, meaning that 10% of the adult population was not registered to vote.— The gender ratio of electors had gone down from 932 females to 1,000 males in the electoral roll as of January 2025 to 892 after SIR. This, they said, “translates to 17 lakh missing women”. — Using name recognition software, they said the analysis showed that while Muslims made up about 17% of the population of Bihar, they accounted for 25% of the names deleted at the draft stage and 34% of the deletions in the final roll published on September 30.Do You Know:— The Constitution of India came into effect on January 26, 1950. However, it’s worth noting that the sections regarding citizenship were only put into effect on the day of the Constitution’s adoption, which was November 29, 1949.— The Constitution introduced a unified form of citizenship, known as national citizenship, without the existence of separate citizenship based on states.— Although the term citizenship is not explicitly defined in the Constitution, Articles 5-11 outline the framework for citizenship at the time of the Constitution’s commencement.— These provisions delineate the methods of acquiring citizenship, such as birth, domicile, and descent, as well as circumstances that disqualify individuals from obtaining Indian citizenship.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:How citizenship was decided by makers of Indian ConstitutionCitizenship is in Parliament’s domain, but ECI can include citizens and exclude non-citizens as voters: SCPrevious year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:(3) With reference to India, consider the following statements: (UPSC CSE 2021)1. There is only one citizenship and one domicile.2. A citizen by birth only can become the Head of State.3. A foreigner once granted the citizenship cannot be deprived of it under any circumstances.Which of the statements given above is/are correct?(a) 1 only(b) 2 only(c) 1 and 3 only(d) 2 and 3 onlyTHE WORLDTrio win Nobel for revealing quantum physics in actionSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: General ScienceMains Examination: General Studies-III: Science and Technology- developments and their applications and effects in everyday lifeWhat’s the ongoing story: Very small particles, on the scale of an atom or smaller, behave in ways that are very different compared to objects we encounter in our everyday lives. The behaviour of small particles, extremely counter-intuitive at times, is described by the laws of quantum mechanics.Key Points to Ponder:— What is quantum mechanics?— What is quantum tunnelling?— What are the applications of quantum computers?— What are superconductors? What is its application?— What is the significance of their discoveries?— Know about India’s National Quantum MissionKey Takeaways:— This year’s Nobel Prize in physics has gone to three scientists who showed that it was possible even for large systems, made up of billions of these small particles, to exhibit quantum behaviour under carefully controlled conditions.— John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis have been awarded the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics “for the discovery of macroscopic quantum mechanical tunnelling and energy quantisation in an electric circuit”.— Their work, done in the mid-1980s, set the stage for the development of quantum computers, which is one of the most active areas of scientific research right now. Nobel Prize in Physics 2025: The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has decided to award the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics to John Clarke, Michel H. Devoret and John M. Martinis. (Image: @NobelPrize/X)— John Clarke, Michel Devoret and John Martinis were working together at the University of California, Berkeley, when they performed a series of experiments in 1984 and 1985 on special electric circuits.— Clarke, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, had been exploring some of these phenomena with the Josephson junction in the 1980s, when he was joined by Devoret and Martinis.— They used a similar set-up as that of Josephson, but had to take meticulous care to isolate the entire set-up from its environment to avoid interference. The slightest interference could destroy the quantum effects.— What they were eventually able to demonstrate is that the entire circuit, not just the flowing electrons in the Josephson set-up, exhibited quantum behaviour.— The circuit could exist only in certain discrete energy states, each corresponding to a particular value for current, not in any in-between energy states, which is a distinctly quantum behaviour. Also, the circuit could jump between these discrete energy states across the insulating barrier, demonstrating macroscopic quantum tunnelling.— The significance of their work becomes clearer when we consider the trajectory of quantum computing. Today’s quantum computers — still experimental but growing more capable — rely fundamentally on the principles that Clarke, Devoret, and Martinis helped establish.— Superconducting qubits, one of the leading platforms for quantum computation, are direct descendants of the circuits these researchers pioneered.— By showing that macroscopic quantum systems could be controlled and manipulated, they provided the conceptual and practical foundation for an entire technological revolution.Do You Know:— 2025 is the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, marking a century since the development of modern quantum mechanics. The field has reached a critical inflection point. Quantum computers, while still limited, are beginning to tackle problems beyond the reach of classical machines.— Superposition: Quantum computing uses ‘qubit’ (or quantum bit) as its fundamental unit and their stability is crucial for harnessing quantum states for computation. Superposition refers to the ability of these particles to exist in multiple locations simultaneously. This phenomenon persists only until the particle is observed. Once observed, the particle appears at one location and ceases to exist in the others.— Entanglement: It is another unusual property where particles that have previously interacted can instantaneously influence each other’s behavior, regardless of the distance separating them. When one entangled particle is measured, the state of the other particle is immediately determined, even if they are far apart. This intriguing property can help in preventing security breaches in quantum communication by entangling qubits of sender and receiver.— Interference: It is a wavelike superposition of subatomic particles’ states that affect the probabilities of states of these particles when measured. While entanglement is a phenomenon between two particles, interference is an effect of many particles surrounding each other.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:Express View on Physics Nobel: Small is bigThis year, Physics Nobel prize reflects a broader transformation in the field Previous year UPSC Prelims Question Covering similar theme:(4) Which one of the following is the context in which the term “qubit” is mentioned? (UPSC CSE 2022)(a) Cloud Services(b) Quantum Computing(c) Visible Light Communication Technologies(d) Wireless Communication TechnologiesTHE IDEAS PAGEWest is turning multipolarSyllabus:Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importanceMains Examination: General Studies-II: Bilateral, regional and global groupings and agreements involving India and/or affecting India’s interests.What’s the ongoing story: C Raja Mohan writes: British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s visit to Mumbai this week, the new trade and investment pact with the EFTA countries, and the ongoing trade talks with the EU in Brussels together signal the steady rise of Europe in India’s diplomacy.Key Points to Ponder:— How has the global relationship evolved in the post-cold war era?— A multipolar West does not mark Western decline; it is about a rearrangement within. Elaborate.— How has the India-EU relationship evolved in recent times?— “From the Indian perspective, a multipolar West brings both potential relief and considerable risk.” What do you understand from this statement?Key Takeaways:— After decades of Indian neglect, the continent is gaining weight in Delhi’s strategic calculus — just as Europe itself begins to develop its own geopolitical act rather than remain a mere extension of the US within the so-called “collective West.”— Since the end of World War 2, “the West” meant political and strategic unity under American power, reinforced by European and Japanese deference to Washington.— The Soviet collapse not only cemented the unity of the West but also saw an effort to expand it. Russia was briefly welcomed into the G7, and the 1990s were hailed as the “end of history” and the triumph of Western liberal universalism.— Yet that unipolar moment soon frayed — first through a resentful Russia seeking more honourable terms of engagement, then through a rising China intent on building a post-Western order.— Today, a new layer has emerged: The recognition of the deepening divisions within the West. Engaging this “multipolar West” has now become an important strand in India’s external strategy.— US President Donald Trump’s America First nationalism has sharpened internal Western fissures — questioning alliances, revising security commitments, and the arbitrary rewriting of global rules.— The Trump era has forced both Europe and Asia to debate “strategic autonomy” and to plan for a world where longstanding American policies can no longer be taken for granted.— Differences between the US and its allies — on Russia, China, trade, and technology — are now quite deep. Europe also watches with unease as the American right challenges liberal norms and exports its culture wars across the Atlantic.— To be sure, Europe remains internally divided — between east-west threat perceptions and north-south economic priorities — but the direction is unmistakable: Towards greater strategic unity and agency within a plural West. It will take a while, but it is an existential imperative for Europe.— A multipolar West does not mark Western decline; it is about a rearrangement within.— Europe, on its part, is rearming itself, and expanding defence cooperation within the EU and bilaterally with the UK, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Economically, it is diversifying trade beyond the Atlantic — reaching deeper into the Indo-Pacific and Latin America through new trade and connectivity initiatives.— America’s Asian allies — Australia, Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN — are making similar adjustments. All will have to learn to live with a less predictable US, minimising risks while exploiting new opportunities that Western pluralism may bring.— India features prominently in Europe’s effort to diversify its strategic partnerships. The EU’s September 2025 Joint Communication on relations with India captures Europe’s widening geopolitical imagination. It asserts that “India’s success benefits the EU, just as the EU’s success benefits India”.— From the Indian perspective, a multipolar West brings both potential relief and considerable risk. A loosely knit West allows greater room for manoeuvre and cross-cutting coalitions. India can now explore multiple points of collaboration within the West. But the fragmentation of the West could weaken collective international responses to authoritarian assertiveness and generate instability.Do You Know:— India attained independence at the height of the Cold War, when two conflicting economic ideologies – capitalism and socialism – were shaping the world order. Having emerged from prolonged devastation caused by the dependence on a foreign power, India chose not to align with either ideology.— Instead, it resorted to a pragmatic economic path that combined the features of both capitalist and socialist economies to address its unique challenges.Other Important Articles Covering the same topic:India’s long history of resistance to economic domination Previous year UPSC Mains Question Covering similar theme:Bipolar structure of the world is more stable than the multipolar one. Comment. (UPSC PSIR 2022)ALSO IN NEWSWorld Bank cuts India’s FY27 GDP forecast to 6.3%, sees reform ‘urgency’The World Bank Tuesday lowered its GDP growth forecast for India by 20 basis points (bps) to 6.3 per cent for 2026-27 due to risks from the 50 per cent tariff imposed by the US.At the same time, the multilateral agency raised the forecast for the current fiscal by 20 bps to 6.5 per cent on the back of the higher-than-expected growth rate of 7.8 per cent clocked in the April-June quarter, said Franziska Ohnsorge, World Bank’s Chief Economist for the South Asia Region.In terms of reforms, government has looked to push domestic consumption in 2025. First, in February, the Union Budget for 2025-26 reduced personal income tax rates under the new direct tax regime. Then, in early September, the GST Council reduced Goods and Services Tax (GST) rates with effect from September 22. The GST rate cuts were part of a broader reform of the indirect tax regime. PRELIMS ANSWER KEY1. (a) 2. (c) 3. (a) 4. (b) Subscribe to our UPSC newsletter. Stay updated with the latest UPSC articles by joining our Telegram channel – IndianExpress UPSC Hub, and follow us on Instagram and X. Anniversary Special: Read the UPSC Essentials September 2025 special edition, celebrating two years of the magazine! Share your views and suggestions at manas.srivastava@indianexpress.com