Explore the Daily Current Affairs 15 November 2025, relevant for UPSC exam. Download quick REVISION NOTES from our telegram channel – https://t.me/CivilMentorIAS.
Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023
GS Paper 2 – Governance, Constitution, Polity, Social Justice
Context: The Union government has notified major parts of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 and the DPDP Rules, 2025. This marks a significant step toward operationalizing India’s data privacy regime mandated by the Supreme Court’s Puttaswamy (2017) judgment.
About Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023:
Objective: The Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023 (DPDP Act) provides for the processing of digital personal data in a manner that recognises both the rights of the individual to protect their personal data and the need to process such personal data for lawful purposes.
DPDP Act establishes a comprehensive framework for protecting digital personal data, setting out the obligations of entities handling such data (Data Fiduciaries) and the rights and duties of individuals (Data Principals).
The Act is guided by seven core principles
- Consent and transparency
- Purpose limitation
- Data minimisation
- Accuracy
- Storage limitation
- Security safeguards
- Accountability.
DPDP Act balances the fundamental right to privacy (Art. 21), as affirmed by the Supreme Court in Justice K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India, with the right to information.
Major concern:
What Section 8(1)(j) Originally Provided (RTI Act, 2005)
Section 8(1)(j) allowed public authorities to withhold personal information, except when:
- Disclosure served a larger public interest, or
- The information was relevant to public duties, and
- Disclosure did not cause an “unwarranted invasion of privacy.”
This clause embodied a balancing test. It enabled RTI applicants and the Information Commissions to access personal information of public servants when transparency and accountability required it. For example – assets of officials, recruitment irregularities, misuse of public office, etc.
2. What Section 44(3) of the DPDP Act Changes
Section 44(3) amends Section 8(1)(j) by removing the public-interest override entirely.
New effect:
- All personal information is exempt from disclosure.
- No balancing test is allowed.
- Even if disclosure is necessary to expose corruption or wrongdoing, the authority must deny it.
This turns Section 8(1)(j) into a blanket exemption, rather than a conditional one.
Mains practice Question:
Q1. The Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023 marks progress in India’s privacy regime but simultaneously raises concerns about transparency and accountability, especially due to its impact on the Right to Information (RTI) Act. Critically examine. (250 words)
Inflation Targeting
GS Paper 3: Indian Economy – Monetary Policy, Inflation, Growth, RBI, Macroeconomic Stability
Context: India’s Flexible Inflation Targeting (FIT) framework (4% CPI inflation ± 2%), adopted in 2016, is up for review in March 2026.
Important terms:
- Flexible Inflation Targeting: A monetary policy framework in which the central bank targets a specific inflation rate but is allowed flexibility to consider growth, output, and financial stability while setting policy rates. In India, FIT currently targets 4% CPI inflation ± 2%.
- Headline Inflation: Inflation measured using the total Consumer Price Index (CPI) that reflects the actual rise in cost of living and matters most for households., including all components such as:
- Core Inflation: Headline inflation excluding food and fuel prices, which tend to be volatile. It captures the underlying, persistent price pressures in the economy.
- Phillips Curve: An economic concept showing an inverse relationship between inflation and unemployment.
- Threshold Inflation: The level of inflation beyond which economic growth starts to decline. For India, empirical estimates suggest about 4%.
- Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act: A law enacted in 2003 to promote fiscal discipline, reduce deficits, and prevent the government from relying excessively on borrowing or monetisation.
- Monetary Policy Committee (MPC): A statutory body under the RBI Act (2016) that sets the policy repo rate to achieve the inflation target.
Prelims practice Question:
Q1. Consider the following statements regarding headline inflation:
- It includes food and fuel prices.
- It excludes items with high volatility to provide a stable measure of inflation.
- It directly reflects changes in the cost of living for households.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
A. 1 and 3 only
B. 2 only
C. 1 and 2 only
D. 1, 2 and 3
Answer: A
(Statement 2 describes core inflation, not headline.)
India – Canada Cooperation on Critical Minerals & Supply Chains
GS Paper 2: Bilateral relations, trade, strategic partnerships. GS Paper 3: Critical minerals, energy security, industrial growth
Context: India and Canada have agreed to strengthen long-term supply chain partnerships in critical minerals, clean energy, aerospace, and dual-use technologies.
Significance of the partnership:
Canada is one of the world’s top suppliers of – Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Copper and Rare earth elements. India requires these minerals for:
- Electric vehicle batteries
- Solar panels
- Semiconductors
- Defence technologies
- Clean energy infrastructure
Therefore, Strengthening supply chain resilience is crucial for India’s energy transition, national security, and industrial expansion.
Growth in bilateral trade between India and Canada, in goods and services reached US$23.66 billion in 2024, with merchandise trade valued at nearly US$8.98 billion, a substantial 10% increase over the previous year.
Mains practice Question:
Q2. Critically examine the recent India–Canada engagement in critical minerals, clean energy, and strategic sectors. How does this partnership contribute to India’s energy security, industrial growth, and geostrategic objectives?