UPSC Daily Current Affairs for 13 October 2025

India’s Disease Burden Shifts From Infectious to Non-communicable Diseases

In News

According to the latest Global Burden of Disease (GBD) report published in The Lancet, Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) now account for nearly two-thirds of global deaths.

What are Non-Communicable Diseases?

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), or chronic diseases, are long-lasting conditions caused by a mix of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioural factors.

The major types include cardiovascular diseases (e.g., heart attacks, stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (asthma), and diabetes.

Base Year Revision of Index of Industrial Production (IIP)

Context

The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is set to revise the base year of the Index of Industrial Production (IIP) to 2022–23, aligning it with the new base year proposed for GDP estimation.

Need for Revising the Base Year

The IIP is a key short-term indicator of industrial activity, used by the government, RBI, and researchers for policymaking, forecasting, and national accounts.

The last IIP base year revision was 2011–12 and since then, major technological changes, product diversification, and digitalization have reshaped industrial production.

India’s economic structure has transformed: services contribute 62.5% of GVA, agriculture 15%, and industry 22%, indicating scope for growth.

MoSPI’s Technical Advisory Committee for Base Year Revision of IIP (TAC–IIP) has recommended aligning the IIP base year with 2022–23, to capture these structural and technological shifts.

Natural Farming Gains Traction in Himachal

In News

Farmers in Himachal Pradesh are increasingly adopting natural farming, supported by the State’s flagship Prakritik Kheti Khushhal Kisan Yojana (PK3Y), which promotes chemical-free agriculture.

What is Natural Farming?

It is a chemical free farming, involving livestock (preferably local breed of cow) integrated natural farming methods and diversified crop systems rooted in the Indian traditional knowledge.

It is rooted in Indian tradition enriched with modern understanding of ecology, resource recycling and on-farm resource optimization.

It is considered as an agroecology based diversified farming system which integrates crops, trees and livestock with functional biodiversity.

It is largely based on on-farm biomass recycling with major stress on biomass mulching, use of on-farm cow dung-urine formulations; maintaining soil aeration and exclusion of all synthetic chemical inputs.

Pradhan Mantri Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana and Self-Reliance in Pulses Mission

Context

PM Modi launched two new agriculture schemes, the PM Dhan Dhaanya Krishi Yojana (PMDDKY) and the Mission for Aatmanirbharta in Pulses, at a special Krishi programme in New Delhi.

PM Dhan-Dhaanya Krishi Yojana

It is a coordinated initiative involving 36 sub-schemes across 11 ministries, designed to accelerate agricultural progress in aspirational districts.

The scheme targets 100 low-performing agri-districts with an annual outlay of ₹24,000 crore for 6 years (starting from 2025-26).

It will be identified on the basis of three key indicators- low productivity , low cropping intensity and low credit disbursement.

News in Short – 13 October, 2025

Context

A Chinese coast guard ship and a Philippine government vessel collided near Thitu Island, part of the Spratly Islands.

About the Spratly Islands

The Spratly Islands are a group of over 100 small islands, reefs, and atolls located in the South China Sea.

Thitu Island, also known as Pag-asa Island, is the second-largest naturally occurring island in the Spratly Islands archipelago within the South China Sea.

The Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague ruled that China’s “Nine-Dash Line” has no legal basis under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) and it had violated the Philippines’ sovereign rights within its EEZ.

However, China has refused to recognize the decision.