Daily Current Affairs | UPSC CSE | 31 October 2025

The Daily Current Affairs for 31 October 2025 highlights important events, including India’s strengthening relations with Mongolia through various initiatives, the commemoration of Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar’s contributions to social justice, the launch of the National FPO Conclave aimed at inclusive farming practices, and updates on the Consumer Price Index revision.

Note: Please click here if you want to read the daily current affairs compilations of other dates.

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India Mongolia Relations

Why In News: The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, recently hosted Khurelsukh Ukhnaa, President of Mongolia. This is his second visit to India in October 2025. Earlier he undertook a State Visit to India, commemorating the 70^th anniversary of diplomatic relations and the 10^th anniversary of the Strategic Partnership between the two nations.

Geographical Details: Mongolia

• It’s a landlocked country located in north-central Asia.
• Land Boundary: Russia (north) and China (south).
• Southern Mongolia is dominated by the Gobi Desert (cold desert).
• The country is called the Land of the Eternal Blue Sky and the Land of the Horse.

Recent Announcements and Initiatives: 2025

• Oil Refinery Project: India will continue funding the construction of an oil refinery in Mongolia — a landmark project symbolizing India’s support for Mongolia’s energy independence and economic diversification.
• Defence Cooperation: India will provide training to Mongolian armed forces, enhancing bilateral defence ties.
• Visa Liberalization: India will offer free e-visas to Mongolian citizens, promoting people-to-people and tourism exchanges.
• Cultural Partnership: Ladakh will be twinned with a province in Mongolia to foster cultural and monastic linkages.

Buddhist and Cultural Diplomacy

• India will send the holy relics of Lord Buddha’s disciples, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana, to Mongolia in 2026, strengthening spiritual and cultural ties.
• A Sanskrit teacher will be deputed to Gandan Monastery to support advanced Buddhist studies.
• The historic Nalanda University–Gandan Monastery linkage will be revived to deepen scholarly and cultural exchanges, reflecting the shared Buddhist heritage of both nations.

Economic Cooperation

• Mongolia has offered coking coal reserves to India — critical for India’s steel industry.
• Logistics remain a challenge: coal transport would require routes either via Tianjin Port (China) or Vladivostok (Russia), necessitating a feasibility and cost analysis.

Background

• India and Mongolia share a long-standing relationship based on spiritual, cultural, and democratic values.
• Mongolia is India’s Strategic Partner since 2015.
• The oil refinery project, financed by India’s USD 1.236 billion Line of Credit, is one of India’s largest overseas development projects.

Source: PIB

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Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar

Why in News: Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar on the occasion of his Guru Pooja (Thevar Jayanti), observed annually on 30th October to commemorate his birth anniversary.

About Pasumpon Muthuramalinga Thevar

• Birth: 30 October 1908, Pasumpon, Ramanathapuram district, Tamil Nadu.
• Community: Revered as a deity among the Mukulathor community, which includes Kallar, Maravar, and Ahambadiar groups.
• Role: A freedom fighter, social reformer, and political leader.
• Ideology: Opposed the rigidities of Varnashrama Dharma, rejecting caste-based discrimination in Hinduism.
• Political Association:
  • Close associate of Subhas Chandra Bose.
  • Served as Deputy Chairman of the All India Forward Bloc (AIFB) from 1952.
  • Elected to Parliament three times on AIFB ticket.

Association with Indian National Congress (INC)

• Attended 52nd Annual Session of INC (Tripuri, 1939).
• Supported Subhas Chandra Bose against Pattabhi Sitaramayya (Gandhi’s candidate) in the presidential election.
• After Bose’s victory, Thevar joined the Forward Bloc, aligning with Bose’s ideology of nationalism and social justice.

Major Contributions and Movements

1. Opposition to the Criminal Tribes Act (CTA) 1920

• CTA (1920): Enacted by the Madras Presidency; labelled entire communities (including Mukulathors) as “habitual criminals.”
• Impact: Adult males had to report weekly to the police and faced movement restrictions.
• Thevar’s Role:
  • Mobilised strong protests across Tamil Nadu.
  • Conducted village campaigns and rallies demanding repeal of CTA.
  • His activism played a key role in restoring dignity and rights of the Mukulathor community.

2. Temple Entry Movement (1939)

• Temple Entry Authorisation and Indemnity Act (1939):
  Enacted under C. Rajagopalachari, removed restrictions on Dalit temple entry.
• Thevar’s Role:
  • Supported temple entry reforms.
  • On 8 July 1939, assisted A. Vaidyanatha Iyer in leading Dalits into the Meenakshi Temple (Madurai)—a historic moment in Tamil Nadu’s social reform movement.

Legacy

• Remembered as a champion of social justice, anti-caste activism, and national unity.
• Thevar Jayanti is celebrated annually across Tamil Nadu with official honours.
• His life continues to inspire movements for equality, dignity, and empowerment of marginalized communities.

Prelims Pointers:

• Born: Pasumpon, Ramanathapuram, Tamil Nadu
• Community: Mukulathor (Kallar, Maravar, Ahambadiar)
• Political Association: All India Forward Bloc (Deputy Chairman, 1952)
• Opposed: Criminal Tribes Act, 1920
• Supported: Temple Entry Movement (1939)
• Associated With: Subhas Chandra Bose, C. Rajagopalachari, A. Vaidyanatha Iyer
• Known For: Social reform, anti-caste activism, and role in Tamil Nadu’s nationalist movements.

Source: PIB

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National FPO Conclave 2025

Why in News: Union Minister for Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shivraj Singh Chouhan inaugurated the National FPO Conclave 2025 in Delhi. The event saw the participation of over 500 progressive farmers, Farmer Producer Organisations (FPOs), Implementing Agencies (IAs), and Cluster-Based Business Organizations (CBBOs) from 24 states and 140 districts across India.

Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs)

• Concept Origin: Proposed by economist Y. K. Alagh (2002) leading to amendments in the Companies Act, 1956.
• Existence: FPOs formally came into existence in 2008.
• Nature: An FPO is a type of Producer Organisation (PO) in which farmers are members.
• Legal Registration Options:
  • Cooperatives – under State Cooperative Societies Acts
  • Producer Companies – under Companies Act, 2013
  • Societies – under Societies Registration Act, 1860
  • Public Trusts – under Indian Trusts Act, 1882
• Key Objective: To enable small and marginal farmers to collectively access inputs, technology, credit, and markets to improve income.
• Nodal Agency: Small Farmers’ Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC) supports the promotion of FPOs.

Formation and Promotion of 10,000 Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs) Scheme:

• Launch Year: 2020
• Type: Central Sector Scheme
• Budget Outlay: ₹6,865 crore (till 2027–28)
• Objective:
  To create 10,000 new FPOs for building a vibrant, sustainable, income-oriented farming ecosystem ensuring socio-economic upliftment of rural communities.
• Implementing Agencies (IAs):
  • SFAC, NCDC, NABARD, NAFED, and others (9 in total).
• Cluster Based Business Organizations (CBBOs):
  • Act as facilitators for FPO registration, aggregation, and professional handholding for 5 years.
  • Serve as a knowledge hub for FPO operations and growth.

Special Focus Areas

• Inclusion of small, marginal, and women farmers, SC/ST farmers, and economically weaker categories.
• “One District One Product” (ODOP) approach for product specialization, branding, and export promotion.
• Produce Cluster Area and Commodity-Based Approach for efficiency and market linkages.

Financial Support to FPOs

• Management Cost Assistance: ₹18 lakh per FPO (for 3 years).
• Equity Grant: Up to ₹2,000 per farmer member, capped at ₹15 lakh per FPO.
• Credit Guarantee: Up to ₹2 crore of project loan per FPO through eligible lending institutions.

Prelims Pointers:

• First introduced: 2008 (after Y.K. Alagh’s 2002 recommendation)
• Scheme type: Central Sector Scheme
• Launched: 2020
• Implementing Agencies: SFAC, NCDC, NABARD, NAFED, etc.
• Key mechanism: Cluster Based Business Organizations (CBBOs)
• Focus: Small, marginal, women, and SC/ST farmers; ODOP-based development
• Financial Outlay: ₹6,865 crore till 2027–28
• Equity Grant: ₹2,000 per member (max ₹15 lakh per FPO)

Source: PIB

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Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue 2025

Why in News: The Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2025, the annual apex-level strategic dialogue of the Indian Navy, was held from 28th to 30th October 2025. The event featured participation from eminent global experts and reviewed evolving geopolitical, economic, and maritime security dynamics in the Indo-Pacific region.

About Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD)

• Organised by: Indian Navy
• Knowledge Partner & Chief Organiser: National Maritime Foundation (NMF)
• Nature: Annual multilateral forum focusing on the maritime dimension of India’s Indo-Pacific strategy.
• Purpose:
  • To review current geopolitics and maritime challenges in the Indo-Pacific region.
  • To explore opportunities for cooperation, connectivity, blue economy, and security partnerships.
  • To align maritime policy with India’s Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI) and SAGAR (Security and Growth for All in the Region) vision.

Key Highlights of IPRD 2025

• Focus Areas:
  • Emerging maritime challenges in the Indo-Pacific.
  • Security architecture, trade linkages, and environmental sustainability.
  • Enhancing regional cooperation through blue economy initiatives.
• Special Recognition: Shri Sanjeev Sanyal, Member, Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM), acknowledged the Indian Navy’s support in the construction and trials of INSV Kaundinya, a vessel that revives India’s ancient maritime traditions.

INSV Kaundinya – Symbol of India’s Maritime Heritage

• Inducted: May 2025
• Base Port: Karwar (Karnataka)
• Design Inspiration:
  • Based on a 5th-century ship design depicted in the Ajanta Caves murals.
  • Constructed using the Tankai method—a stitched wooden ship building technique that uses no nails or steel.
• Built by: Skilled artisans from Kerala, led by Master Shipwright Shri Babu Sankaran.
• Named After:
  • Kaundinya, a legendary 1st-century Indian mariner, credited with sailing to Southeast Asia and helping establish the Kingdom of Funan (in present-day Cambodia/Vietnam).
• Significance:
  • Revives India’s ancient seafaring traditions.
  • Aims to enhance maritime consciousness and inspire naval heritage education.
• Upcoming Mission: Scheduled to undertake a transoceanic voyage from Gujarat to Oman later in 2025, retracing India’s ancient trade routes across the Arabian Sea.

Prelims Pointers

• Event: Indo-Pacific Regional Dialogue (IPRD) 2025
• Organiser: Indian Navy
• Knowledge Partner: National Maritime Foundation (NMF)
• INSV Kaundinya: 5th-century design, stitched wooden ship (Tankai method), based at Karwar
• Named after: Mariner Kaundinya, who established the Kingdom of Funan
• Builder: Master Shipwright Babu Sankaran (Kerala)
• Vision Linked to: SAGAR and Indo-Pacific Oceans Initiative (IPOI)
• Upcoming Voyage: Gujarat → Oman, retracing ancient maritime trade routes

Source: PIB

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Consumer Price Index (CPI)

Why in News: The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI) is currently undertaking a base year and methodology revision for the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to reflect updated consumption patterns, improved data collection, and changing economic realities.

About Consumer Price Index (CPI)

• Definition: The CPI measures the weighted average of prices of a specified basket of goods and services (e.g., food, transport, housing, health) from the consumer’s perspective — i.e., the retail buyer.
• Purpose:
  • To measure retail inflation.
  • Acts as a key input for monetary policy decisions by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).
  • Tracks the cost of living and changes in purchasing power.
• Current Base Year: 2012 (revision underway).

Compiling Agencies

Type of CPI	Compiling Agency	Ministry	Base Year
CPI for Industrial Workers (CPI-IW)	Labour Bureau	Ministry of Labour & Employment	2016
CPI for Agricultural Labourers (CPI-AL)	Labour Bureau	Ministry of Labour & Employment	1986–87
CPI for Rural Labourers (CPI-RL)	Labour Bureau	Ministry of Labour & Employment	1986–87
CPI (Rural / Urban / Combined)	National Statistical Office (NSO)	Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation	2012

Note:

• CPI (Combined) = All-India CPI (used as official measure of retail inflation).
• CPI (Rural) for Housing is not compiled.

Key Facts and Composition

• Major Groups under CPI:
  1. Food and Beverages – 12 sub-items (highest weight).
  2. Pan, Tobacco & Intoxicants – No sub-items.
  3. Clothing & Footwear – 2 sub-items.
  4. Housing – No sub-items (Urban only).
  5. Fuel & Light – No sub-items.
  6. Miscellaneous – 6 sub-items.
• Weights in CPI (Combined):

Group	Weight (%)
Food & Beverages	45.86
Pan, Tobacco, Intoxicants	2.38
Clothing & Footwear	6.53
Housing	10.07
Fuel & Light	6.84
Miscellaneous	28.32

• Consumer Food Price Index (CFPI):

• Derived from 10 sub-groups of ‘Food & Beverages’ (excluding Non-alcoholic beverages and Prepared meals, snacks, sweets, etc.).
• CFPI weight in the CPI: Rural 47.25%, Urban 29.62%, Combined 39.06%.

CPI and Monetary Policy

• Adopted as the key inflation measure by the RBI in 2014 for setting Monetary Policy under the Flexible Inflation Targeting Framework.
• Target inflation: 4% (±2%).

Prelims Pointers

• CPI compiled by: NSO (MoSPI).
• Base Year: 2012 (under revision).
• CPI adopted by RBI: 2014.
• CPI (Rural) for Housing: Not compiled.
• CFPI derived from: 10 of 12 sub-groups under Food & Beverages.
• Highest weight in CPI: Food & Beverages (45.86%).
• CPI measures: Retail inflation (from consumer’s viewpoint).
• WPI measures:Wholesale inflation (from producer’s viewpoint).

Source: PIB

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