News In Short – 27 September, 2025

Attorney General of India

Syllabus: GS2/ Polity

In News

• Senior advocate R. Venkataramani is re-appointed as the Attorney General of India for two years.

About Attorney General of India

• The Attorney General of India (AGI) is the highest law officer and the chief legal advisor to the Government of India, appointed by the President under Article 76 of the Constitution.
• Represents the Union Government in the Supreme Court and High Courts in all cases where the government is a party.
• Appointed by the President and holds office during the pleasure of the President without a fixed tenure.
• Must be qualified to be appointed a judge of the Supreme Court (i.e., a Supreme Court judge or an advocate for at least 10 years, or an eminent jurist as per the President’s opinion).
• AGI can participate in parliamentary debates but cannot vote.

Source: TH

National Security Act (NSA)

Syllabus :GS2/Governance 

In News

• The Ladakh administration has justified the detention of climate activist Sonam Wangchuk under the National Security Act (NSA).

National Security Act (NSA) of 1980 

• It allows preventive detention to protect national security, public order, and essential services. 
• It is a powerful tool that limits individual liberty and must be exercised sparingly and lawfully, ensuring due process and rights protection.
• Key features: 
  • Grounds for Detention: NSA can be invoked if a person’s actions threaten national defense, foreign relations, state security, communal harmony, or involve smuggling/disruption of essential services.
  • Procedure: Detention orders can be issued by the Central or State Government based on subjective satisfaction.
    • The detained person must be informed of the reasons, and an Advisory Board must be formed within 3 weeks to review the case.
  • Period of Detention: Initially up to 12 months, extendable in blocks not exceeding 12 months, with government approval.
  • Safeguards: The detainee has the right to legal representation and to make a representation before the Advisory Board.
    • The government must consider the Board’s recommendation and can revoke or modify the order.
  • Judicial Review: The detention can be challenged in High Court through a habeas corpus petition if found unlawful.

Source: TH

H3N2 Flu 

Syllabus: GS2/Health

In News

• The H3N2 flu virus has triggered a major epidemic throughout the entire Delhi-NCR region.

About H3N2 

• It is a subtype of the Influenza A virus, affecting mainly those over 50 and under 15. 
• It spreads through respiratory droplets and contaminated surfaces, with higher risk in crowded spaces like schools and nursing homes.
  • Frequent mutations in its surface proteins make vaccines less effective.
• H3N2 infection symptoms typically begin with sudden high fever, chills, sore throat, headaches, muscle, body aches, fatigue, abdominal pain and sometimes gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and diarrhoea.
• H3N2 flu is usually treated at home with rest, hydration, and symptomatic care like steam inhalation and warm saline gargles.
  • Antiviral drug oseltamivir may be prescribed within 48 hours of symptom onset, especially for high-risk individuals, to reduce illness duration and complications. 

Source  :LM

MiG-21

Syllabus: GS3/Defence

Context

• The Mikoyan-Gurevich (MiG-21) fighter jets were decommissioned by the Indian Airforce.

About

• It is the country’s first supersonic fighter jet.
• It is of Soviet-origin inducted into the IAF in the early 1960s.
• Design: Lightweight, delta-wing, highly maneuverable, capable of speeds over Mach 2.
• The supersonic jets were the dominant platforms during 1965 and 1971 wars with Pakistan. 
  • The aircraft also played a key role in the 1999 Kargil conflict as well as the 2019 Balakot airstrikes.
• It provided India with a low-cost, reliable supersonic fighter during critical phases of modernization.
• Phase-out Plan: India has gradually retired MiG-21 squadrons to be replaced by LCA Tejas and other modern jets.

Source: TH

Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana

Syllabus: GS1/Society/GS3/Inclusive Growth

Context

• Prime Minister Modi launched Bihar’s Mukhyamantri Mahila Rojgar Yojana.

About

• Aim: Making women Aatmanirbhar and promoting women’s empowerment through self-employment and livelihood opportunities. 
• Eligibility: Every family will have at least one woman beneficiary under this scheme. 
• Benefit: Each beneficiary will receive an initial grant of Rs. 10,000 via Direct Benefit Transfer, with the possibility of additional financial support of up to Rs. 2 lakh in subsequent phases. 
• The assistance can be utilized in areas of the choice of the beneficiary including  agriculture, animal husbandry, handicrafts, tailoring, weaving, and other small-scale enterprises.
• Implementation: The scheme will be community driven in which, along with financial support, community resource persons connected to Self Help Groups will provide training to support their endeavour.
  • To support the sale of their produce, Gramin Haat-Bazaars will be further developed in the State.

Source: DD

Article 304 (a) 

Syllabus: GS2/Polity and Governance

Context

• The Supreme Court struck down a 2007 Rajasthan government notification that exempted Value Added Tax (VAT) on locally manufactured asbestos sheets and bricks, finding it discriminatory under Article 304(a) of the Constitution.

About

• The Supreme Court’s ruling struck down Rajasthan’s notification as discriminatory under Article 304(a).
  • Taxation cannot be used as a weapon to discriminate between locally manufactured goods and similar goods imported from other states.
• Constitutional Provision Involved: Article 304(a) is found in Part XIII (Articles 301–307) concerning Trade, Commerce and Intercourse within India.
  • The Legislature of a State may by law impose on goods imported from other States or the Union territories any tax to which similar goods manufactured or produced in that State.
  • This is subject to a restriction that states cannot discriminate between goods imported and goods manufactured or produced.

Supreme Court’s Key Observations

• Tax differentiation vs discrimination: Differentiation permissible if:
  • No similar goods are produced in the state.
  • Tax burden imposed equally on local and imported goods.
  • Discrimination arises when local goods get a favourable tax treatment.
• Legitimate exemptions allowed: Tax rebates/incentives for limited periods, applied non-hostilely, to promote economically backward areas, are valid.

Source: IE

National Geoscience Awards-2024

Syllabus :Miscellaneous 

In News

• President Droupadi Murmu presented the National Geoscience Awards-2024 at a ceremony held at the Rashtrapati Bhavan Cultural Centre, recognizing outstanding contributions in the field of geoscience.

National Geoscience Awards

• They were instituted in 1966  by the Ministry of Mines, to recognize excellence and innovation in the field of geoscience and mining.
  • formerly known as the National Mineral Awards until 2009 .
• They are among the country’s oldest and most prestigious honors in the field of geosciences.
• The Ministry of Mines presents the National Geoscience Awards annually under the following three categories: National Geoscience Award for Lifetime Achievement,National Geoscience Award and National Young Geoscientist Award.

Source :PIB