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In a bold response to the announcement of a 50% tariff on Indian products by the U.S., Dr. Ashok Kumar Mittal, the Chancellor of LPU and a member of the Rajya Sabha, banned American soft drinks, including Coca-Cola, in the LPU campus, a big private university of 40,000 students. This action marks the initiation of Swadeshi 2.0 movement. It aims at protecting the economic independence of India and criticizing the U.S. government on its hypocrisy and bullying.

At the Constitution Club of Delhi, on Ganesh Chaturthi, Dr Mittal said that LPU was sending a very strong message of swadeshi moment. He compared this boycott to the 1905 Swadeshi movement that reduced British imports as India sought its independence.  

Mittal stated, “If our forefathers could challenge colonial powers with the Swadeshi movement, we too can resist modern economic pressures. India will not be cowed down,” invoking our leaders like Bipin Chandra Pal, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Lala Lajpat Rai, and Aurobindo Ghosh who ignited the original Swadeshi spirit. 

At LPU, the ban is already established. It is finding wide support in India, says Mittal. He blames the U.S. over the way it attacked India yet they continued to trade with Russia. He cautions that a national Swadeshi 2.0 would be damaging to the U.S. economy.

Although the U.S. is the largest export partner of India (87.4 billion dollars in 2024), the economy of India is robust and dominated by internal consumption- nearly 60 percent of GDP to domestic expenditure. Economists reckon the U.S. tariffs would reduce the GDP of India by 0.20% to 0.90%. To counter this, the government intends to do a series of reforms such as GST adjustments and growth enhancing policies.

India and the United States have been experiencing increasing tensions in their trade, and the boycott at LPU demonstrates a tendency toward economic self-sufficiency and just trade. The demand of Swadeshi 2.0 by Mittal is more of a broader demand of India to enjoy greater freedom in global trade with a rising degree of protectionism. 

As a policy shift, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) raised the CAT percentile cut-offs for its highly sought-after Post Graduate Programme (PGP) and PGP-FABM for the 2026–28 batch. The move reflects a better weeding-out process for India's most premium management seat.

Accordinmg to the admission policy of 2026-28, candidates from the General and EWS categories must now score a minimum of 95 percentile overall and at least 85 percentile in each section of the Common Admission Test (CAT)—namely Verbal Ability & Reading Comprehension (VARC), Data Interpretation & Logical Reasoning (DILR), and Quantitative Ability (QA).

"Part of it is to make the shortlisting process more competitive and subtle," Prof Karthik Sriram, Chairperson of Admissions, IIMA, explained. He added that the institute would like to shortlist only the academically most competent candidates to the next rounds—Analytical Writing Test (AWT) and Personal Interview (PI).

Revised Minimum CAT Percentiles by Category:

General & EWS: 95 overall | 85 in each section

NC-OBC: 90 total | 80 in each section

SC: 85 total | 75 in each section

ST: 75 total | 65 in each section

PwD: 75 total | 65 in each section

ST-PwD: 65 total | 55 in each section

In particular, transgender candidates of the General category will be dealt with according to NC-OBC standards.

Weightage in Final Selection:

Personal Interview (PI): 50%

Analytical Writing Test (AWT): 10%

CAT 2025 Score: 25%

Application Rating (AR – academics & profile): 15%

The CAT 2025 examination is to be held on November 30, 2025, across 170 cities, and the registration window is open until September 13, 2025.

This is bound to increase the intensity of competition among candidates competing for a seat in India's top B-school, since displaying severe scholastic discipline and a good profile will now have higher stakes.

The SSC Chairman has stated that all the technical and operational challenges around exam conduction process are being actively addressed and the upcoming 2025 SSC CGL examination would be conducted seamlessly, with a more robust IT security and fairer allocation of exam centres being implemented.

SSC Key Updates

SSC chairman S. Gopalakrishnan responded to recent outbursts posted due to technical hiccups and far-flung examination sites in the July-August entry exams. He assured that they are correcting the glitches and there will be new system reforms promising more openness and fairness to the candidates.

Troubles Faced and Measures Taken

In July, during the Selection Posts/Phase 12 examination (scheduled on July 24 to August 2, 2025) about 5.5 lakh participants had been observed with significant anomalies in two centres, leading to the cancellation of the examination and their rearrangement. The 59,000 affected candidates will now have three extra exam slots on August 29 to continue their fairness. There were no issues with the computer-based Stenographer (August 6th - 8th ) exam, signaling that the corrections made became effective.

New Exam Conducting System

The SSC has been transformed into a multi-agency model where the responsibilities are divided between the content provider agencies, the exam conducting bodies, the IT security teams and the monitoring agencies. Past arrangements with TCS provided easier centre preferences in cities but present arrangements with agency Eduquity had initially matched lesser centres in cities but this is now resolved in 80% cases and frustrated candidates had applied to courts challenging the arrangement. 

Strengthening Security

To fight cyber threats, especially from unscrupulous private test centres, the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC) is now supporting cybersecurity for exams. Strict service agreements and penalties ensure agencies maintain high quality and security.

The role of Coaching Institutes & Reforms

Gopalakrishnan noted that coaching institutes were angered by the reforms that have minimized the use of the conventional coaching content such as the implementation of e-dossiers and new styles of papers. Digital question vault issues that led to problems such as duplicated questions have been corrected as well, with results moderation to be fair through equi-percentile normalisation.

What Aspirants should Know?

1. Any significant technical glitches of recent exams are being resolved, and the candidates impacted are offered more chances. 
2. Assignment of centres is also growing better with most candidates being allocated centres in their preferred cities.
3. CDAC security is now stringent, which requires a CDAC and stringent monitoring. 
4. New systems and digital reforms have emphasized the need to focus on fairness, transparency and less dependence on coaching.
5. These revisions are set to contribute positively with regard to the CGL 2025 exam (anticipated in mid-September) and the SSC has said it will ensure there are no problems in the administration of the new arrangements.

This year the recruitment process by SSC will be better in terms of fairness, reliability and transparency, better hope to the aspirants who are in the preparation stage of government jobs.

One of the first steps toward enhancing the voter awareness and literacy aspect in the state of Rajasthan has brought about a new system in the education framework of the state where the school curriculum will include an introduction to voting rights and election process to make young citizens aware and help them take informed decisions towards exercise of their vote. 

On 25th August 2025, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Election Department of Rajasthan and the department of  school education to implement this project in all the government and private secondary and higher secondary schools.

Why is Election Literacy so Important?

The inclusion of voter education in the curriculum will help imbibe the values of democracy in students at a tender age, and become conscientious citizens later on as electors. The curriculum addresses issues such as rights and responsibility as a voter, ethical voting, how voting is performed and the significance of democracy. The common activities that make learning about elections appealing and unforgettable to students are dramas, speeches, songs, poems, and classroom games.

Naveen Mahajan, chief electoral officer, said that "for online monitoring of these clubs, an online ELC entry module has been made available on the School Darpan portal and private school portal. Rajasthan is probably the first state in the country to develop digital infrastructure for strengthening school ELC." 

The implementation through Electoral Literacy Clubs (ELC)

The electoral literacy clubs (ELC) school based will be enhanced in both government and non-government schools. Rajasthan has become the first Indian state to implement a complete digital tracking of these clubs through Shala Darpan and Private School Portal. Based on the new online ELC entry module, monitoring and reporting of club activities becomes easy; therefore, the implementation becomes transparent and evidence-based.

In July 2025 alone, the ELCs engaged more than 1.69 lakh students in Rajasthan in various voter education activities. The focus of this initiative is making sure that no eligible future voter is left behind, so we are encouraging all 17 year-olds to pre-register, and we will also be sending out voter eligibility dates throughout the year. Although there has been a tremendous development in the districts of Bharatpur, Ajmer, Dausa, Alwar, and Bikaner, as far as participation is concerned in light of participation especially in the perceived world of private schools, it is working on the theme of increased participation.

Listing of Digital Resources and Future Plans

The portals suggest the schools and students of Rajasthan with digital voter education resources, learning material, and games in both Hindi and English to increase ease of accessibility and coverage. The program has plans to be implemented in higher education and rural communities (Chunav Pathshala) to make voter literacy all-encompassing.

The election literacy program is an initiative by Rajasthan that highlights the level of civic education in the country as the program is highly interactive, technology-based and it can equip a child to be a responsible voter in future. The combined effort of the Election Commission and Education Department make this a strong model that urges other states to follow the same.

In an exercise of substantial policy making aimed at providing a fillip to female students in higher studies, the Maharashtra Higher and Technical Education Department plans to launch a new scheme to offer girl students ₹2,000 as month-end support—facilitating them to earn while learning.

The program, which remains in the planning stage, will supplement the department's recent move of suspending tuition for 842 higher education programs and issuing an additional ₹6,000 monthly subsistence allowance to cover students' lodging and food costs. Authorities admit that many young women still incur daily academic expenses such as transportation, books, and online materials.

To bridge this gap, Higher and Technical Education Minister Chandrakant Patil announced on August 19 that there is a special 'Earn and Learn' scheme in the works. Colleges will offer on-campus jobs or part-time work plans to meritorious girl students, who will receive ₹2,000 a month directly deposited into their bank accounts.

Colleges will provide us with the list of beneficiaries, and the money will be deposited directly," Patil stated, adding that the scheme is not just intended to provide financial assistance but also skill development opportunities to students.

The state government will be admitting around five lakh students in the first phase, reaching an expense of ₹100 crore per month. For one year, the total implementation will run ₹1,000 crore.

Patil further promised that there are talks underway with Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis for mobilizing the required funds. Even though financial approvals may be delayed due to current budget limitations, the department is actively engaged in framing the policy and finalizing implementation plans.

The scheme will prove beneficial for such girls from poorer and rural backgrounds particularly, allowing them to pursue higher studies without any apprehension of economic insecurity.

If cleared, the move would be a revolutionary measure towards gender equality in the education system of Maharashtra.

Following the resignation of Congress MLA Rahul Mamkootathil as Kerala Youth Congress president, Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty has called for his resignation from the MLA too following the charges of obscene behavior. "If the accused is a public representative, he should resign from that position," Sivankutty commented while adding, "There is a controversial issue which has been discussed in the public sector in Kerala for the last two days."

Serious charges have been made against Mamkootathil, who is a public representative, which is a serious issue. If there is any fear among these women to disclose their names, let them not be afraid. The government will be with them by giving them full protection and support. The government stands for justice. I would also like to remind you of certain legal aspects in this case," the Education Minister of Kerala stated.

"Even if complainants hesitate to disclose their names, they can approach the police and lodge a complaint. Police will file a case and initiate an inquiry. The privacy of the victims will be completely ensured. A woman has disclosed that she has informed the party's highest leadership," he further added. Sivankutty explained that the highest party leaders, who have been briefed on the incident, have a responsibility to report the crime to the police according to law. "Those leaders have some legal obligations. As per the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), if any individual becomes aware of a crime, he/she is bound to inform the police. Failing to report serious crimes to the police is an offense. The government will do justice in this regard. All support will be offered to women to lodge complaints. The law assures that it will follow its course," he said.

Implying that other revelations have surfaced, Sivankutty stated that the concerned public representative has to respond to society and his voters rather than simply resign from his organisation.

More serious disclosures have reached the news media. If the accused is a public representative, this issue will not be addressed by stepping down from organisational roles alone. The individual must account to society, not the organisation. The voters are the power in a democracy," the Education Minister of Kerala had said.

Sivankutty again emphasized that Mamkootathil quits his MLA position and tenders an apology. "Since the charge has been levied, if this individual is a people's representative, he must apologise and step down from his role. Otherwise, the common man, particularly women, will never pardon. I congratulate the sisters who exhibited bravery," he stated.

The "obscene conduct" charges of MLA Mamkootathil have been brought by writer Honey Bhaskaran and model Rini Ann George.

Honey Bhaskaran complained on Facebook that Rahul had messaged her on her social media handle. She claimed that it started with travel, and she replied to it, but there were a series of messages from him. When she realized he had no plans of halting, she blocked him from communicating with her. She stated that she came to learn through Youth Congress volunteers that he badmouthed her, and that she was the one who had started talking to him. Those allegations were made just a few days after Actress and model Rini Ann George alleged that the Congress MLA had sent her objectionable messages to her on several occasions and had also invited her to a hotel. George said that when she threatened to report his party, the leader had dared her to do so. She refused to name the leader or the party.

George asserted she had reported the incident to the party leadership, accusing wives and daughters of various politicians of having similar encounters with the party leader. She asked, "I want to ask which woman these politicians who were not able to protect the women in their own families will protect?"

"I thought of speaking up since I saw recently in social media that there are many women who have gone through this problem. None of those women are saying a word against this. So I thought of raising my voice for all," she said. Earlier on Wednesday, protesting against the allegations, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) organized a protest march to the residence of Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkoottathil asking him to resign.