Daily Current Affairs - 25 September 2025

Explore the Daily Current Affairs 25 September 2025, relevant for UPSC exam. Download quick REVISION NOTES.

Source: The Hindu newspaper (Page no. 1)

Information Technology Act, 2000:

Context: The Karnataka High Court dismissed petitions filed by X Corp challenging the Indian government’s authority to issue content blocking orders through its Sahyog portal.

Key Takeaway:

Section 69A of IT Act 2002 – Power to issue directions for blocking for public access

This is the primary provision used by the Indian government to block or take down online content. This allows the Central Government to direct any agency or intermediary to block public access to content in the interest of:

Sovereignty and integrity of India
Defence of India
Security of the State
Friendly relations with foreign states
Public order
Preventing incitement to commission of any cognizable offence

Related pointers:

Sahyog portal	Recognized as a lawful instrument aiding content oversight.	Makes centralized compliance mechanisms more robust
Scope of free speech & foreigners	The court held that constitutional protection under Article 19 is limited to citizens, and that foreign platforms can’t invoke it.	Foreign tech companies have weaker grounds for resisting Indian regulations
Regulation vs “anarchic freedom”	Speech cannot be left entirely unregulated — platforms must follow laws.	Affirms the principle that regulation of digital speech is legitimate under law

Mains practice question:

Q1. “With increasing dependence on social media, the balance between regulating online content and preserving democratic freedoms has become critical. Discuss in light of the recent legal developments concerning intermediary liability in India.” (250 words)

Source: The Hindu newspaper (Page no. 1)

NFIR ranking system:

What is NFIR ranking?

National Institutional Ranking Framework is a ranking system to provide a transparent, credible, and objective ranking of higher education institutions in India based on well-defined criteria.

It was launched by Ministry of Education, Government of India in 2015.

It covers multiple categories of institutions: universities, engineering colleges, management, law, medical, pharmacy, research institutions, etc.

Methodology & Parameters

NIRF uses a set of parameters grouped into major heads; each parameter has a certain weight. Some of the broad heads are:

Teaching, Learning & Resources (TLR)
Research and Professional Practice (RP)
Graduation Outcomes (GO)
Outreach & Inclusivity (OI)
Perception (PR)

Source: The Hindu newspaper (Page no. 4)

Three Language Policy:

Context: The Three-Language Formula is a long-standing language education policy in India, originally from the 1968 and 1986 National Education Policies. NEP 2020 retains and reforms it to fit contemporary needs.

NEP 2020 and the Three-Language Policy:

Key Highlights:

Multilingualism in School Education:

Children will be taught in their mother tongue or regional language wherever possible, at least until Grade 5, and preferably till Grade 8.

2. Three Languages to be Learned:

Every student will learn three languages in school.
At least two of the three languages should be native to India (i.e., Indian languages).

3. Flexibility – No Imposition:

No language will be imposed on any state.
States, regions, and schools will decide the choice of languages, ensuring alignment with the policy’s spirit.

4. Promotion of Classical and Regional Languages:

Focus on preserving and promoting Indian languages, including Sanskrit, Tamil, Kannada, Punjabi, Urdu, etc.
Sanskrit will be offered at all school levels and higher education.

5. Technology and Language Learning:

Use of technology (apps, e-content) to promote multilingualism and aid language learning.

Significance:

Promotes linguistic harmony and national integration.
Preserves linguistic diversity and mother tongues.
Encourages cognitive development—studies show multilingual children perform better.
Aims to bridge the language divide between states and regions.
Helps in inclusivity and reducing dropout rates in early education.

Challenges & Criticisms:

Issue	Concern
North-South Divide	Southern states like Tamil Nadu oppose Hindi imposition. TN follows a two-language formula (Tamil & English).
Implementation Complexity	Infrastructure and qualified teachers for all three languages may not be available.
Language Hierarchy	Risk of creating an unspoken hierarchy where English and Hindi dominate.
Administrative Burden	Managing different combinations of three languages across thousands of schools.

Quote: “A nation that loses its language loses its soul. The three-language policy is not about imposition, but about inclusion.”

Source: The Hindu newspaper (Page no. 10)

High Salt consumption:

Context: The Indian Council of Medical Research’s National Institute of Epidemiology (ICMR‑NIE) has flagged that salt intake among Indians is much higher than the WHO recommended level of 5 grams per person per day.

Facts for mains answer writing:

Indian adults consume nearly eight to 11 grams of salt every day. This is double the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended daily salt intake of five to six grams per day.
The high intake of salt is a key factor in India’s growing burden of hypertension, which affects 28.1% of adults and significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Research suggests that for every dollar invested in scaling up salt reduction interventions, there will be a return of at least $12.

Health Impacts & Risks:

Hypertension: Excess sodium increases blood volume and vascular resistance, leading to elevated blood pressure.
Cardiovascular disease: Higher salt intake is a risk factor for stroke, ischemic heart disease.
Kidney disease: Salt overload can cause glomerular injury, worsen chronic kidney disease.
Other risks: Some evidence links high salt to osteoporosis, gastric cancer, fluid retention, and exacerbation of heart failure. Globally, ~1.89 million deaths/year are associated with excessive sodium consumption.

Mains practice question:

Q2. “Excessive salt intake has emerged as a silent but serious public health challenge in India. Discuss the role of awareness, policy interventions, and food regulation in addressing this issue.” (250 words)

Source: The Hindu newspaper (Page no. 12)

Personality Rights:

What are Personality Rights?

Personality rights refer to a person’s control over their identity attributes such as name, image, likeness, voice, signature, persona, etc. The core idea is that one should not allow unauthorized exploitation of these attributes, especially for commercial use, false endorsement or defamation.

Recent Judgements:

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan v. Online Misuse:

The Delhi High Court granted interim protection restraining unauthorized commercial use of her name, images, likeness, voice, etc. This includes misuse via AI-generated content or deep-fake images.
E-commerce platforms and Google were ordered to remove infringing URLs within 72 hours.

2. Arijit Singh v. Platforms (AI Voice Cloning, etc.)

Bombay High Court restrained platforms from using voice‑conversion tools, generative AI, etc., that mimic his voice, name, persona, etc.

Constitutional Provision: Article 21 (Right to Life & Personal Liberty) includes dignity, privacy, reputation. Courts have treated personality rights as part of the person’s dignity.

Mains practice question:

Q3. “Analyse the emerging jurisprudence on personality rights in India in the digital age. What are the legal protections and what challenges remain?”