daily news capsule
1. Another policeman dies in Haryana: ASI investigating suicide of IPS officer
An assistant sub-inspector of Haryana Police was found dead with gunshot wounds on Tuesday along with a purported suicide note that accused late Inspector General Y Puran Kumar of corruption, the same senior officer whose alleged suicide just a week before his alleged suicide brought allegations of casteism and bias against top brass of the state police. In a four-page note and a six-minute video, 41-year-old Sandeep Lather, who hails from the Jat community, accused Dalit Kumar and his family of widespread corruption and claimed he had “enough evidence” against the senior officer. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the note or video. Lather, originally from Julana in Jind, was part of the Rohtak CIA-2 team that caught and arrested Kumar’s aide on October 6 following a corruption complaint. IGP Kumar, 52, was found dead at his Chandigarh residence the next day. Tuesday’s death has dogged Haryana Police with conflicting allegations of corruption, casteism and harassment – IGP Puran Kumar had named eight senior officers, including state police chief Shatrujit Kapoor, in a note left behind on October 7. Kapoor was “sent on leave” by the state government on Monday.
Possible question
Discuss the interplay of corruption, caste dynamics and institutional accountability in India’s police forces. What reforms are needed to strengthen integrity and fairness in policing?
2. IMF’s WEO raises India’s 2025-26 growth forecast
India will remain the fastest growing major economy in the world and will perform better than expected in July, the IMF said in its World Economic Outlook (WEO) released on Tuesday. India’s projected GDP growth for 2025-26 is 6.6%, 20 basis points higher than the July estimate. One basis point is one hundredth of one percentage point. However, the 2026-27 GDP growth forecast for India has been cut by 20 basis points to 6.2% compared to the July estimate. The IMF’s latest growth projection for India is slightly lower than the 6.8% forecast by the RBI in its MPC resolution released earlier this month. “The strong gains in the first quarter were offset by an increase in the US effective tariff rate on imports from India since July”, the WEO report said, adding that the decline in inflation in India came as a surprise. Of course, the WEO report also shows that the effective tariff rate for Indian exports to the US was 35.8% in October 2025, the second highest among major countries and country groups after China. Among major economies, the US is expected to grow by 2%, China by 4.8% and the euro zone by 1.2% in 2025.
Possible question
With India projected to remain the fastest growing major economy, critically analyze the risks posed by rising trade barriers and global protectionism. How can India preserve its growth momentum while expanding export competitiveness?
3. Uranium supply, defense ties chief in India-Mongolia talks
Uranium sourcing, a $1.7 billion oil refinery and steps to boost defense cooperation were discussed in talks between Mongolian President Khurelsukh Ukhna and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday. Khurelsukh arrived in New Delhi on Monday for the first visit by a Mongolian president in six years, with a focus on strengthening bilateral ties in a number of areas. Ten agreements were finalized during the meeting between the leaders to promote cooperation in key areas such as digital solutions, exploration of mineral resources and quick impact projects. Officials said the Indian side expressed interest in acquiring uranium and other minerals including copper, gold and zinc from Mongolia. Mongolia has uranium reserves of up to 90,000 tonnes and finalized a deal with France in January to extract 2,500 tonnes per year. Both Modi and Khurelsukh highlighted the importance of the Mongol refinery, the country’s first being built with a $1.7 billion Indian line of credit, which is expected to begin operations in 2028. It will have the capacity to process 1.5 million tonnes of crude oil per year or 30,000 barrels per day.
Possible question
Evaluate the strategic importance of Mongolia in India’s energy security and defense partnership. How does resource diplomacy fit into India’s broader regional strategy?
4. 22,466 elephants in India: latest SAIEE count
According to the All India Synchronous Elephant Estimates (SAIEE) 2025 conducted by the Wildlife Institute of India, there are 22,446 elephants in the country. The figure is about 17% lower than the 2017 estimate, although experts said the two are not comparable. The census was conducted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change in coordination with the Wildlife Institute of India and state forest departments and released at the WII Annual Research Seminar in Dehradun on Tuesday. According to the report, the range provided is between 18,255 and 26,645, with Karnataka (6013) having the highest population. The Western Ghats are home to the highest number of elephants, 11,934, followed by the north-eastern hills and the Brahmaputra flood plains with 6,559. A 2017 estimate put the figure at 27,000, but this was based on the direct counting method. This time, a new DNA-based sampling method has been adopted. A wildlife biologist working on elephants, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, “There was a lot of concern among the scientific community about whether this should be a pilot or broad-based for the entire country. We have to go through the entire methodology to say whether this indicates a decline trend.”
Possible question
What are the major challenges in estimating wildlife populations in India? Investigate how new technologies and methods can improve conservation outcomes for key species such as elephants.
5. Google to invest $15 billion to build Andhra AI hub
Tech giant Google on Tuesday announced a $15 billion investment to build India’s first artificial intelligence center in Visakhapatnam, its largest facility outside the US. The company said the hub will feature a gigawatt-scale data center built in partnership with Adani Group’s AdaniConX and Airtel, along with a new international sub-sea cable landing to boost India’s internet speeds and global connectivity. “It’s part of a global network of AI centers in 12 different countries, but it’s the largest we’ll build anywhere in the world outside the US,” Google Cloud Chief Executive Thomas Kurian said during the signing of the memorandum of understanding. Kurian said the data center will grow to several gigawatts in the future, noting that Google has been operating in India for 21 years with more than 14,000 employees. The investment, which is expected to be completed in five years, represents a significant shift in India’s technology landscape that will enable the country to host critical AI computing infrastructure domestically rather than relying on data centers abroad. This could prove vital for data sovereignty, reduce latency for Indian users and businesses and establish the country as a regional hub for AI services in South and Southeast Asia.
Possible question
What are the opportunities and risks of large-scale foreign investment in AI infrastructure for India’s digital sovereignty, data governance and technological leadership? Discuss in the context of recent policy initiatives.
Editorial Snapshot
A. Trump’s time in West Asia
On Monday, Hamas released 20 Israeli hostages and nearly 2,000 Palestinian prisoners were freed by Israel, marking the beginning of the first phase of US President Donald Trump’s 20-point Middle East peace plan. This was a moment for Trump when he relished his role as a peacemaker and deal maker. Given that a lasting peace in Gaza, and thus in West Asia, revolves around the challenge of managing and rebuilding Gaza and creating a Palestinian state, a ceasefire may be an easier outcome. The Trump plan called for the disarmament of Hamas and its removal from rule in Gaza. Hamas ignored this demand, and its cadres have reportedly reappeared in Gaza to police civilians. Fatah, entrenched in the West Bank, lacks the public support or machinery to exert its influence over Hamas in Gaza. An international stabilization force has been contemplated, but there is neither clarity nor consensus on who would provide the personnel or necessary funding. The issue of establishing a Palestinian state is further complicated because the Netanyahu administration has been clear in rejecting the idea. The unraveling of the Abraham Accords, a major accomplishment of Trump’s first term in office that promised to normalize relations between Israel and several Sunni Arab states, highlights how short-lived the prospects for peace in West Asia may be.
Possible question
Analyze India’s balancing act in West Asia amid changing US policies, the Palestinian question and the Abraham Accords. How can India protect its energy security and diaspora interests while expanding strategic influence?
B. Politicians must learn the lesson of sensitivity
West Bengal Chief Minister (CM) Mamata Banerjee’s comments on the Durgapur rape are the latest in a long series of disturbing comments made by top politicians around women’s issues, especially sexual violence and safety. Although Banerjee has since said that her words were twisted (a standard response), the suggestion that the 23-year-old MBBS student who was raped near a medical college in Durgapur was somehow responsible for the crime because she was out late at night has sparked outrage. Unfortunately, such attitudes are all too common and spread along political and ideological lines. Be it a Union Minister blaming boys and girls hanging out with each other for rising sexual crimes, a Chief Minister saying parents need to ‘introspect’ on allowing children to go out late at night, or a senior leader condoning violent crime by saying ‘boys will be boys’, disappointing examples of insensitivity seem to be common in Indian politics – a scenario in which Strange paradox where leaders now regularly praise women power and work hard to woo them. The female vote is an increasingly decisive demographic in elections. Can this change? Perhaps politicians, whose life’s work is to establish their identity in the community they claim to represent, should take a lesson in sensitivity or public communication – especially in matters of social importance – and remember that they are leaders whose examples supporters emulate.
Possible question
Examine the role of political leadership and public discourse in shaping social attitudes towards gender justice in India. What institutional and educational measures are needed to build gender-sensitive governance?
today’s fact
Over 26,000 EV subsidy requests stuck in Delhi: Over 26,800 electric vehicle (EV) owners in Delhi have been waiting for months for their promised subsidies, as the city transport department grapples with massive pending claims. 42.5 crores. Officials said the delay was mainly due to the prolonged finalization of the city’s new EV policy, which remained in limbo for nearly two years even after the old policy was extended earlier this year. “Distribution of EV subsidies slowed down significantly after the previous policy expired in August 2023. Though it was extended till March 2026, the focus shifted to drafting a new policy framework and administrative approvals were delayed,” a senior transport official said. The department has since completed the review of all pending applications and is awaiting fresh approval from the Transport Minister to resume payments. “We have cleaned the database to remove duplicate entries. Once approved, the subsidy will be released in batches, and the backlog will be cleared within this financial year,” the official said. Launched in August 2020, Delhi’s EV policy offers purchase incentives 30,000 more for two-wheelers Rs 1.5 lakh for four-wheelers, plus exemption on registration fee and road tax. The initiative drove growth in electric adoption, with EVs accounting for more than 8% of new vehicle registrations in 2024.
