{"id":57899,"date":"2025-10-29T19:27:55","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T13:57:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=57899"},"modified":"2025-10-31T11:17:25","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T05:47:25","slug":"news-in-short-29-october-2025","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-10-2025\/news-in-short-29-october-2025","title":{"rendered":"News in Short \u2013 29 October, 2025"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>8th Central Pay Commission<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Governance<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister approved the Terms of Reference of <strong>8th Central Pay Commission<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The 8th Central Pay Commission was announced in<strong> January, 2025.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The commission aimed to examine and recommend <strong>changes in the Salaries and other benefits of Central Government employees.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It will be a temporary body.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The Commission will comprise one <strong>Chairperson Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai<\/strong>; One Member (Part Time) and one Member-Secretary.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It will make its recommendations within <strong>18 months of the date of its constitution.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Central Pay Commissions<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Central Pay Commissions are <strong>periodically constituted<\/strong> to go into various issues of emoluments structure, retirement benefits and other service conditions of Central Government employees and to make recommendations on the changes required thereon.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The first CPC was established in 1946, and subsequent commissions have been set up roughly every 10 years.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Going by this trend, the effect of the 8th Central Pay Commission recommendations would normally be <strong>expected from 01.01.2026.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsonair.gov.in\/cabinet-approves-terms-of-reference-for-8th-central-pay-commission\/#:~:text=The%20Union%20Cabinet%20has%20approved,the%20date%20of%20its%20constitution.\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>AIR<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/IR<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Thousands of families in the United States are set to lose access to the <strong>Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)<\/strong>, commonly known as <strong>food stamps<\/strong>, after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced a temporary halt in payments due to funding shortages.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>SNAP is the <strong>largest food assistance programme<\/strong> in the US in which the recipients are given <strong>reloadable debit cards<\/strong>, which they may use to purchase essential groceries from supermarkets and e-commerce platforms like Amazon Grocery.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It was launched in <strong>2008<\/strong>, replacing the <strong>Food Stamp Program<\/strong> that began in 1939 during the Great Depression, when <strong>President Franklin D. Roosevelt <\/strong>introduced it to boost consumer purchasing power and stabilize crop prices to help revive the economy.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It has traditionally been funded on a 50:50 basis by the federal government and the states, with the former typically paying for the benefits and the states assuming the cost of administering the programme.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Eligibility <\/strong>is based on income thresholds aligned with the Consumer Price Index\u2014$15,060 for individuals and $30,000 for families of four in 2025\u2014with maximum monthly benefits of $292 and $975 respectively.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Primarily intended for US citizens, certain refugees from Cuba or Haiti and asylum seekers may qualify if income criteria are met.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Permanent residents and green-card holders must have completed five years to be eligible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The One Big Beautiful Bill Act raised the work requirement age from 54 to 64, now exempting only parents with children under 7.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source :<a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/explained\/explained-global\/food-stamps-november-1-poor-americans-10330338\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>14th Round of Commercial Coal Mine Auctions<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/Science &amp; Technology<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Ministry of Coal is gearing up to launch the <strong>14th Round of Commercial Coal Mine Auctions.<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>For the first time, the Ministry is introducing provisions for <strong>Underground Coal Gasification (UCG) within the auction framework.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>UCG is a process that <strong>converts coal into a combustible gas<\/strong> called <strong>syngas <\/strong>while it is still in the ground, rather than through conventional mining.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d9d9ca\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"850\" height=\"537\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Underground-Coal-Gasification-UCG.webp\" alt=\"Underground Coal Gasification (UCG)\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-57910\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d9d9ca; width:538px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Underground-Coal-Gasification-UCG.webp 850w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Underground-Coal-Gasification-UCG-300x190.webp 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Underground-Coal-Gasification-UCG-768x485.webp 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It represents a <strong>strategic initiative to harness India\u2019s deep-seated coal reserves<\/strong>\u2014resources that are otherwise unmineable through conventional methods.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This innovative step is expected to<strong> reduce dependence on imported natural gas and crude oil while unlocking new avenues for investment.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.pib.gov.in\/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2183223\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>PIB<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Loktak Lake<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A recent study by Nagaland University has established a direct link between land use and severe water pollution in Manipur&#8217;s Loktak Lake.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About Loktak Lake<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is the <strong>largest freshwater lake in Northeast India<\/strong> and is known for its unique <strong>floating biomass<\/strong>, called<strong> phumdi <\/strong>in the Meitei language.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rivers like Khuga, Nambul, Imphal, Kongba, Iril, and Thoubal <\/strong>drain into Loktak Lake.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The lake supports <strong>132 plant species<\/strong> and <strong>428 animal species, <\/strong>including several endemic and migratory species.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It is designated as a <strong>Ramsar Site<\/strong> for its ecological significance.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Due to the degradation, Loktak Lake has been on the <strong>Montreux Record <\/strong>since <strong>1993<\/strong>, a global warning list for wetlands facing severe ecological damage.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ecological Importance:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It is home to the <strong>Keibul Lamjao National Park<\/strong>, the world\u2019s only floating national park.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The park shelters the <strong>Sangai or brow-antlered deer,<\/strong> Manipur\u2019s state animal, which is<strong> critically endangered.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/energy-and-environment\/study-links-land-use-to-water-pollution-in-manipurs-loktak-lake\/article70207900.ece#:~:text=The%20l\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TH<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>Climate Inequality Report 2025<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Reports<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>In News<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Climate Inequality Report 2025, co-authored by Lucas Chancel and Cornelia Mohren of the World Inequality Lab, found\u00a0 that wealthy individuals drive the climate crisis more through their investments than their consumption.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Findings\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It highlights that wealthy individuals contribute more to the climate crisis through asset ownership than consumption, with the top 1% responsible for 41% of emissions linked to private capital and 15% of consumption-based emissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Their per-capita emissions are up to 680 times higher than those in the bottom 50%.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ownership-based emissions in countries like the US, France, and Germany far exceed consumption-based estimates, highlighting the disproportionate impact of the rich.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Impacts\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The report warns that climate change could worsen wealth inequality, projecting the top 1% could control 46% of global wealth by 2050 if they dominate climate investments.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Suggestions\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The report proposes a carbon-adjusted wealth tax to discourage high-carbon investments and fund the green transition, arguing it would be more progressive and effective than consumer-focused carbon taxes.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Additional recommendations include banning new fossil fuel investments and expanding public ownership of low-carbon infrastructure to reduce inequality.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>With the global carbon budget for 1.5\u00b0C warming nearly exhausted, urgent action is needed to prevent climate change from worsening global wealth disparities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Source :<a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/world\/climate-change\/wealthy-individuals-fuel-climate-crisis-through-wealth-more-than-consumption-climate-inequality-report-2025-10332891\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">IE<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading has-text-align-center\"><strong>HAL\u2013Russia Deal: SJ-100 to Be Made in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS3\/ Defence<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) and Russia\u2019s United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for production of civil commuter aircraft <strong>SJ-100<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>SJ-100<\/strong> is a <strong>twin-engine, narrow-body<\/strong> passenger aircraft. So far, over <strong>200 units<\/strong> have been produced and are operated by <strong>more than 16 commercial airlines<\/strong> worldwide.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Under this collaboration, <strong>HAL will have the rights to manufacture the SJ-100<\/strong> for domestic customers \u2014 a move expected to be a <strong>game changer for short-haul connectivity<\/strong> under the <strong>UDAN Scheme<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>This will also mark the <strong>first time a complete passenger aircraft is produced in India<\/strong> since the <strong>AVRO HS-748<\/strong>, which HAL manufactured between <strong>1961 and 1988<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The SJ-100 project is not only a step towards <strong>\u2018Aatmanirbharta\u2019 in civil aviation<\/strong>, but will also <strong>strengthen the private sector<\/strong>, and <strong>generate employment<\/strong> across the aviation manufacturing ecosystem.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Do you know?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Over the next decade, India\u2019s aviation sector is projected to need <strong>over 200 jets<\/strong> in this category for regional connectivity and <strong>around 350 more<\/strong> for nearby international destinations across the Indian Ocean region.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/hal-and-russias-uac-join-hands-for-production-of-civil-jet-sj-100\/article70211336.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong>Context<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Union Cabinet, chaired by the Prime Minister approved the Terms of Reference of 8th Central Pay Commission.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong>About<\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The 8th Central Pay Commission was announced in January, 2025.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The commission aimed to examine and recommend changes in the Salaries and other benefits of Central Government employees.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It will be a temporary body.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">The Commission will comprise one Chairperson Justice Ranjana Prakash Desai; One Member (Part Time) and one Member-Secretary.\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/29-10-2025\/news-in-short-29-october-2025\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read\u00a0More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":57907,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-57899","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/10\/upsc-news-in-short-29-october-2025.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57899","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=57899"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57899\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":57924,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/57899\/revisions\/57924"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/57907"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=57899"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=57899"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=57899"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}