LEGAL NEWS
Legislative Council Elections and Constitutional Provisions
• Elections were held for 28 seats across the Legislative Councils of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra and Karnataka. India has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha; some states also have two legislative chambers.
• Six states currently have Legislative Councils: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. The Legislative Council is the upper house of a state legislature.
• Article 169 of the Constitution provides for the creation or abolition of a State Legislative Council by Parliament, following a resolution passed by the State Legislative Assembly with the required special majority.
• Article 171 governs the composition of Legislative Councils. Their strength cannot exceed one-third of the State Legislative Assembly’s membership and generally cannot be less than 40.
• Members are elected or nominated through different categories, including local authorities, graduates, teachers and nominations by the Governor. The minimum age for membership is 30 years, and members must be Indian citizens.
• A Legislative Council is a permanent house. Each member normally serves a six-year term, and approximately one-third of its members retire every two years. The Chairman and Deputy Chairman preside over its proceedings.
• The Council examines legislation, discusses public issues, questions ministers and represents different sections of society. It can delay ordinary Bills but cannot permanently block them; for Money Bills, it can only recommend changes within 14 days.
• Unlike the Legislative Assembly, whose members are directly elected and whose normal term is five years, the Legislative Council is mainly indirectly elected or nominated. The Assembly has the decisive role in financial matters and can bring down the government through a no-confidence motion.
• The Government of India Act, 1935 introduced provincial bicameralism in certain provinces; Bengal’s bicameral legislature began functioning in 1937. The Council of State at the central level was established under the Government of India Act, 1919.
IMPORTANT DAYS
United Nations Day 2026 Marks 81 Years of Global Cooperation
• United Nations Day is observed annually on 24 October to commemorate the entry into force of the UN Charter in 1945.
• In 2026, the United Nations marks its 81st anniversary.
• The UN was established in 1945 to promote international peace, security and cooperation.
• Its major objectives include protecting human rights, providing humanitarian assistance and promoting sustainable development.
• The United Nations has 193 member states.
• It has six principal organs, including the General Assembly and the Security Council.
• India was one of the 51 original founding members of the United Nations and supports reforms to the Security Council.
• The UN headquarters is located in New York City, United States.
World Development Information Day 2026
• World Development Information Day is observed annually on 24 October to raise awareness of global development challenges.
• The United Nations General Assembly established the observance in 1972.
• It was established through UN General Assembly Resolution 3038 (XXVII).
• The date coincides with United Nations Day, also observed on 24 October.
• It also marks the anniversary of the adoption of the International Development Strategy for the Second United Nations Development Decade in 1970.
• The observance highlights the role of public awareness, science and technology in addressing development challenges.
• It emphasises information and communications technology (ICT) as a driver of economic and social development.
• The day promotes efforts to bridge the digital divide and advance the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
World Polio Day 2026
• World Polio Day is observed annually on 24 October to raise awareness about poliomyelitis and promote vaccination.
• The 2026 theme is “Together, We End Polio.”
• Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that can cause irreversible paralysis, particularly in children under five.
• The disease is preventable through vaccination, making immunisation essential for global eradication efforts.
• Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the two countries where wild poliovirus is endemic.
• India’s last reported case of wild poliovirus occurred on 13 January 2011.
• The WHO South-East Asia Region was certified polio-free on 27 March 2014.
• The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) is an international partnership that coordinates polio vaccination, prevention and surveillance worldwide.
Global Media and Information Literacy Week 2026
• Global Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Week 2026 will be observed from 24 to 31 October.
• The 2026 theme is “We All Play a Part – Media and Information Literacy for the People.”
• UNESCO, along with its partners, leads the campaign to promote media and information literacy worldwide.
• The observance encourages critical thinking, reliable information use and responsible participation in digital spaces.
• It highlights the importance of identifying misinformation and evaluating AI-generated content.
• Another key focus is reducing inequalities in digital access and bridging the digital divide.
• Educators, journalists, policymakers, young people and communities are encouraged to strengthen information literacy and informed decision-making.
• UN General Assembly Resolution A/RES/75/267, adopted in 2021, recognised the importance of Media and Information Literacy Week.
NATIONAL NEWS
MoSPI Proposes Changes to PLFS Methodology from January 2027
• The Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI), through the National Statistics Office (NSO), proposed changes to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) methodology from January 2027.
• The PLFS collects employment and unemployment data in India and provides key indicators such as Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR), Worker Population Ratio (WPR) and Unemployment Rate (UR).
• The NSO proposes a fresh sampling design called Panel 6 for the two-year period 2027–2028.
• The updated sampling frame will account for urbanisation, administrative boundary changes and a revised rural sampling frame based on Census 2011.
• A new Second Stage Stratum (SSS) is proposed to improve the coverage of digital platform workers, who were inadequately captured in the earlier survey.
• Additional questions will cover unpaid household and caregiving activities, volunteer work and unpaid trainee work.
• For January–March 2027, the transition sample will combine First Stage Units (FSUs) from the existing Panel 5 and the new Panel 6 sampling frames.
• On 23 October 2026, MoSPI invited policymakers, researchers, academic institutions and the public to submit comments on the proposed changes within 15 days.
STATE NEWS
Uttar Pradesh Ranks First in Mission Karmayogi Implementation 2026
• Uttar Pradesh ranked first nationally for implementing Mission Karmayogi in an assessment of capacity building across government departments and officials.
• The recognition was announced at a northern regional workshop in Lucknow on 23 October 2026, jointly organised by RUPAM and the Government of India’s Capacity Building Commission.
• Rajasthan ranked second, while Jammu and Kashmir ranked third in the assessment.
• Mission Karmayogi, officially the National Programme for Civil Services Capacity Building (NPCSCB), was approved by the Union Cabinet in September 2020.
• The programme aims to strengthen civil servants’ capabilities through continuous learning, competency-based training and role-based administration.
• The iGOT Karmayogi platform provides online learning and training for government officials. Uttar Pradesh had approximately 1.923 million registered users, with active participation above 99%.
• More than 350 training institutions in Uttar Pradesh were registered under the Unnati initiative. The state also conducted a seven-day capacity-building programme in January 2026.
• The Uttar Pradesh Home Department ranked first in Category A, completing over 10 million training courses. The Higher Education Department led Category B, while the Handloom and Textiles Department led Category C.
Keralam Launches Statewide Mapping Plan to Protect Vulnerable Children
• Keralam’s Women and Child Development Department plans statewide mapping to identify children whose health, education or safety is at risk.
• The decision was taken at a meeting convened by Minister Bindhu Krishna on 23 October 2026, following the suspected malnutrition-related death of a two-year-old child in Alappuzha on 18 October.
• District Women and Child Development Officers will oversee the safety and rehabilitation of identified children, with support from Local Self-Government, Health and Police departments.
• The plan calls for regular meetings of child protection and welfare committees at district and village levels to improve interdepartmental coordination.
• Social investigation reports must be submitted to Child Welfare Committees (CWCs) within a specified timeframe, and individual care plans must be prepared for every child in a care institution.
• The plan states that parental non-cooperation must not prevent authorities from taking necessary steps to protect a child.
• After rehabilitation, Anganwadi workers, Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) supervisors and psychosocial counsellors will monitor children’s nutrition and growth and arrange urgent intervention where needed.
• The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 provides the legal framework for children in need of care and protection. Section 27 provides for Child Welfare Committees in each district.
