Explore the Daily Current Affairs 10 October 2025, relevant for UPSC exam. Also download quick REVISION NOTES.
Mental Health crisis
Context: Despite policies like Mental Healthcare Act (2017) and National Suicide Prevention Strategy (2022), India’s mental health system remains underdeveloped.
Challenges & facts for mains:
- Mental health as governance challenge:
- Lack of trained professionals (0.75 psychiatrists per 1 lakh vs. WHO minimum of 1.7) highlights poor human resource planning.
- Budget underutilization (₹270 crore mental health budget largely unspent) shows fiscal inefficiency.
2. Social and Economic Dimensions:
- Suicide is now the leading cause of death among 15-29-year-olds in India.
- Farmers: >1 lakh suicides since 2014, driven by debt, crop failure, and institutional apathy.
- Men made up 72.8% of all victims, revealing gendered economic and social stress.
- Homemakers and caregivers are invisible in data but face domestic violence, isolation, and unreported depression.
- World Health Organization (WHO) estimates 16.3 deaths per 1,00,000 people, highlighting India’s heavy mental health burden.
3. Ethical and Moral Concerns
- Turning to AI for emotional support indicates collapse of trust in human systems — a failure of compassion and community.
4. Infrastructure Gaps
- Rehabilitation services meet <15% of actual needs.
- DMHP functioning is poor in many states.
- Primary Health Centres (PHCs) lack essential psychotropic drugs.
5. Treatment Gap
- 70–92% treatment gap; 85% for common disorders like depression/anxiety.
- High dropout from care pathways.
6. Budgetary Constraints
- Only 1.05% of the health budget is allocated to mental health.
- WHO recommends 5% minimum.
7. Stigma and Social Barriers
- Over 50% of Indians see mental illness as weakness or shame.
- Rural areas (70% of population) face acute access challenges.
Mental Healthcare Act, 2017:
- Decriminalises suicide
- Mandates insurance coverage
- Guarantees right to dignified care
- Enshrines autonomy and informed consent
SC Judgment (Sukdeb Saha v. State of AP): Mental health upheld as part of Article 21 (Right to Life).
Mains practice question:
(GS Paper IV) Q1. The use of AI for emotional support reflects the failure of human institutions. Discuss the ethical responsibilities of governance in this context.
Special Intensive Revision (SIR)
Context: Election Commission of India (ECI) has conducted Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in Bihar, ahead of Assembly elections.
Legal provision:
Section 21 of the Representation of the People Act, 1950 empowers the Election Commission to prepare and revise electoral rolls, either:
- Summary revision: Before every election
- Special revision: At any other time, if needed
| Key Features of the SIR Process in Bihar |
|---|
| 1, Submission of enumeration forms by all registered voters 2. Proof of citizenship required for voters registered after 2003 3. Draft rolls published 4. Claims and objections invited and verified by ERO 5. Final roll published 6. Aadhaar accepted as one of the eligible documents following Supreme Court directive |
Forms of electoral rolls under Registration of Electors Rules,1960
Significance of Special Intensive Revision (SIR):
- Ensures clean and accurate electoral rolls, foundational for free and fair elections
- Aids in removal of bogus or duplicate entries
- Incorporates new eligible voters (esp. youth, migrants)
- Enhances trust in democratic processes
Concerns:
- Time constraints may hamper participation, esp. among marginalised sections
- Proof of citizenship requirement may exclude eligible voters (if poorly implemented)
- Needs greater awareness and logistical support
Mains practice Question:
Q2. Electoral roll accuracy is the cornerstone of free and fair elections. Critically examine the Election Commission’s recent initiative of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in this context. What are the associated challenges, and how can they be addressed to strengthen participatory democracy in India?
Quantum Mechanics
Context: 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to John Clarke, Michel Devoret, and John Martinis for demonstrating quantum tunnelling in macroscopic systems like electrical circuits.
Key Concepts for prelims and Mains:
1. Quantum Tunnelling
- A quantum mechanical phenomenon where particles cross an energy barrier they classically shouldn’t be able to.
- Nobel-winning experiments showed this can happen in macroscopic circuits, not just at the subatomic level.
2. Josephson Effect (1962)
- Predicts that Cooper pairs of electrons can tunnel across an insulator between two superconductors without applied voltage.
- Current depends on phase difference:
3. Macroscopic Quantum Coherence
- Coherence = quantum system retains wave-like properties.
- Leggett proposed that entire circuits can behave as single quantum objects, allowing phenomena like macroscopic tunnelling.
Read detailed article on “Quantum tunnelling“
Mains practice Question:
Q3. Discuss the significance of the Josephson effect and macroscopic quantum tunnelling in the context of emerging technologies like quantum computing.”
National Red List Assessment of Flora and Fauna
Context: India is set to conduct a first-of-its-kind assessment of nearly 11,000 species of plants and animals and assess how vulnerable they are to extinction.
What is ‘Red List’ assessment?
A first-of-its-kind national assessment to evaluate the conservation status of ~11,000 species of flora and fauna.
Method of assessment: Uses IUCN Red List methodology (international gold standard for assessing species’ extinction risk).
Objective: To create accurate, science-based National Red Data Books by 2030 — to inform conservation planning and policy.
Launched by: India’s Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), aligned with IUCN standards and under CBD and KM-GBF commitments.
Period: Exercise will be carried out till 2030.
CBD and KM-GBF:
- CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity): Global treaty to conserve biological diversity.
- Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022):
- Succeeds the Aichi Targets.
- Sets ambitious 2030 goals: protect 30% of land and marine areas, reduce extinction rates, etc.
- India is a party and must align national efforts accordingly.
IUCN Red List
- Maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
- Categorizes species into:
- Extinct (EX)
- Critically Endangered (CR)
- Endangered (EN)
- Vulnerable (VU)
- Near Threatened (NT)
- Least Concern (LC)
- Data Deficient (DD)
Red Data Book
- A national version of the IUCN Red List.
- Lists threatened species and provides data for conservation planning.
Mains practice Question:
Q4. India’s National Red List Assessment is a step towards scientific biodiversity conservation. Examine its significance and potential challenges.