UPSC/KPSC Current Affairs: 15th & 16th December 2025

State prepares roadmap to mitigate losses

Context: According to the Karnataka State Disaster Risk Reduction (KSDRR) Road Map 2025-30, which provides a vulnerability profile of the State, 80% of the State’s geographical area is prone to drought, 22% is prone to moderate earthquake and 24% prone to cyclones, heavy winds, etc.

• With this in the backdrop, Karnataka, which incurred a cumulative loss of over ₹1.22 lakh crore due to natural disasters between 2015 and 2021, has prepared a roadmap and set 2030 as the time frame to cut such losses by 75%.
• The KSDMA has prepared the road map. for a “disaster-resilient Karnataka’’ to reduce mortalities, economic loss and casualties.
• Natural disasters: With ₹1.22-lakh crore losses, State sets timeline for mitigationKarnataka State Disaster Management Authority has prepared the road map for a ‘disaster-resilient Karnataka’ to reduce mortalities, economic loss and casualties1 of 2R.
• Karnataka, which incurred a cumulative loss of over ₹1.22 lakh crore due to natural disasters between 2015 and 2021, has prepared a roadmap and set 2030 as the time frame to cut such losses by 75%.
• The Karnataka State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has prepared the road map for a “disaster-resilient Karnataka’’ to reduce mortalities, economic loss and casualties.

Vulnerability profile

• The preparation of the Karnataka State Disaster Risk Reduction (KSDRR) Road Map 2025-30 entailed drawing up a vulnerability profile, as per which 80% of the State’s geographical area is prone to drought, 22% is prone to moderate earthquake and 24% of the geographical area in the State is prone to cyclones, heavy winds, etc,. Human-induced disasters like road and industrial accidents too are considered for risk assessment and disaster mitigation.
• The KSDRR report, released recently, has set short, medium and long-term plans and stipulates 2029-30 as the year by which the economic loss, infrastructure damage, human and animal mortality and casualties, were to be reduced by 75% of the baseline established in 2026.
• The study, which went into the preparation of the KSDRR Road Map, points out that not only does the State experience disasters of various types and intensities but estimates that nearly 61.10 million people are at risk.
• There is hardly any economic sector which has not been affected by the frequent occurrence of natural disasters but the brunt of it is borne by agriculture.
• While the cumulative loss across various sectors has been pegged at over ₹1.22 lakh crore, the loss between 2015 and 2021 in agriculture was pegged at ₹1.02 lakh crore. The crops over 1.84 lakh hectares were lost, while the loss in horticulture was pegged at ₹10,102.81 crore.

Road infra damages

• Afte agriculture, it is the damage to roads which was the highest and affected 1.12 lakh km of roads during the assessment period and the loss incurred was pegged at ₹17,296 crore.
• A study of drought-affected districts indicated that between 2001 and 2022, Kalaburagi, Gadag, Davangere, Belagavi were afflicted by drought 14 times, while a majority of the remaining districts reported drought on at least 13 occasions.

Climate change impact

• The report was also a pointer to the extremities of nature and the impact of climate change in many districts in recent decades, as prolonged spells of drought were followed by severe floods. This included the districts of Raichur, Ballari, Kalaburgi, Yadgir, Bidar, etc,.
• The socio-economic impact of natural disasters on various departments — from agriculture to education and tourism — has been studied in detail and broad action plans suggested for mitigation.

Timeline for targets

• The road map proposes a department-wise action plan for effective and timely response and better recovery in case of any natural or man-made disaster. It stipulates that by 2026, all departments, districts and gram panchayats should prepare disaster management plans with baseline data of the year 2025-26.
• During 2027-28, the State will collaborate with various stakeholders for technology transfer, knowledge management, etc. for risk reduction.

• La Niña, cold dry air from Siberia contributed to the winter chill

Context: Several districts in north interior Karnataka and Bengaluru experienced a steep drop in temperatures in the past week between December 8 and 14. What contributed to this? An India Meteorological Department (IMD) and a Bangalore Professor have decoded this.

• They have cited an interplay between global La Niña conditions, synoptic advection from the Siberian High and local radiative physics for this phenomenon.
• Kamsali Nagaraja, Professor at the Department of Physics, Bangalore University, and IMD Scientist Chanabasanagouda S. Patil said that to understand why a region geographically closer to the Equator experienced such biting cold, one must look thousands of kilometres away to the Pacific Ocean, where the 2025 winter unfolded under the shadow of La Niña.
• The duo said that this global atmospheric phenomenon, characterised by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures, acted as a conductor for the planetary weather orchestra.

Why harsher

• It strengthened the trade winds and modified global circulation patterns, effectively loading the dice for a harsher winter over the Indian subcontinent.
• While La Niña set the stage, the primary actor was the Siberian High, a massive, semi-permanent collection of cold, dry air that accumulates over northern Asia. Typically blocked by the Himalayas, a specific pressure configuration this December unlocked the gates, allowing this continental air to escape its usual boundaries, the duo said.
• They added that a perfect synoptic storm facilitated this southward migration of cold air, which resulted in Vijayapura district and Bidar district recording 7 °C and 7.4 °C with a departure of nearly 8°C from the normal. Besides, Bengaluru, which is usually insulated by its urban heat, saw airport temperatures drop to 12.9 °C.
• Prof. Nagaraja and Mr. Patil said that the winds, however, only brought the cold air to Karnataka. They said that the extreme severity of the freeze was dictated by the microscopic physics of the boundary layer, specifically a process known as “nocturnal radiative cooling”.

‘Open window’ effect

• The atmosphere during this week was exceptionally dry, particularly at the mid-tropospheric level, effectively stripping the earth of its natural blanket. Water vapour and clouds usually trap heat radiating from the ground, but with clear skies and arid air, the earth lost its warmth directly to space at a rapid rate after sunset. This “open window” effect caused the mercury to crash by 15 degrees or more from day to night, turning pleasant afternoons into biting nights, Prof. Nagaraja and Mr. Patil said.

• Govt. yet to procure sanitary pads under Shuchi scheme

Context: With four months left for the academic year to end, tenders to procure these sanitary napkins are still under way; the scheme, which was discontinued in 2020 during the pandemic, was resumed in 2024, following a High Court order1 of 2 Under Shuchi scheme, the government distributes 12 Shuchi Kits, each with 10 sanitary napkins, per year for a student.

• There are only four months left for the completion of the academic year 2025-26. But the State government is yet to supply Shuchi kits (sanitary napkin kits) to adolescent girls aged 10 to 18 in government and aided schools, colleges and hostels under the menstrual hygiene programme, Shuchi. Tenders to procure these sanitary napkins are still under way.
• The scheme, that was discontinued in 2020 during the pandemic, was resumed in January 2024, following a High Court order. Sanitary napkins were procured in 2024-25 without tenders after availing an exemption under Section 4G of the Karnataka Transparency in Public Procurements (KTPP) Act, 1999.
• However, this year, the government has called tenders for procurement leading to a delay.
• Responding to a question raised by Congress MLC Madhu G. Madegowda in the ongoing legislature session, Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dinesh Gundu Rao said that the Cabinet had approved the distribution of sanitary pads under the Shuchi programme for the year 2025-26, and a tender had been called by Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL) for the procurement process.
• Under the Shuchi scheme, the State government distributes 12 Shuchi Kits, each with 10 sanitary napkins, per year per student. The State government has identified 19,64,507 beneficiaries for the year 2025-26, and the scheme is expected to cost ₹71.83 crore this year.

Turn to NGOs

• With the State government not supplying sanitary pads to schools and colleges, many institutions have turned to non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to fill the gaps.
• A headmaster of a government school in Laggere, Bengaluru, said that their school had over 150 adolescent girls, and the Shuchi kits provided by the Department of Health and Family Welfare in July were over. “A local donor purchased enough sanitary pads for all the girls in our school for a month. We have approached another NGO for pads next month,” he said.
• The government has identified 19,64,507 beneficiaries for 2025-26

• Kerala Governor says there is judicial overreach in Vice-Chancellor selection

Context: Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar openly criticised the Supreme Court over its intervention in the appointment of Vice-Chancellors (V-Cs) in Digital University Kerala (DUK) and APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University (KTU).

• The Governor deplored the tendency of one institution usurping the role of another in a democracy. He said the power to amend the Constitution was vested with Parliament and legislatures, and the courts were there to “interpret the Constitution and not to amend it”.
• Referring to the dispute over Vice-Chancellor appointments, he said the authority to do so rested with the Chancellor as laid down in University Grants Commission regulations.
• “Kannur University verdict honours the right of the Chancellor to select the Vice-Chancellors. But after some time, the very same provisions are being ignored by the Supreme Court and its judges,” he said. He questioned the court’s decision to appoint search committees for selecting the Vice-Chancellors.
• He said such actions amounted to judicial overreach. “Taking [away] the tasks of every institution and doing them themselves [by the courts] is not correct,” he said, while reiterating that the courts must only ensure that the law was followed and that each institution must function within its domain.

• Indian Navy to commission second MH-60R helicopter squadron in Goa

Context: The Navy had commissioned its first squadron of the multi-role MH-60R helicopters on March 6 last year at Kochi.

• The Indian Navy will commission its second MH-60R helicopter squadron, INAS 335 (Ospreys), on December 17 at INS Hansa in Goa, in the presence of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi.
• The event will mark a significant milestone in the Navy’s ongoing drive towards modernisation and capability enhancement.
• The Indian Navy said that equipped with advanced weapons, sensors, and a state-of-the-art avionics suite, the MH-60R is a versatile multi-role platform capable of effectively addressing both conventional and asymmetric threats. The helicopter has been fully integrated with fleet operations and has already demonstrated its operational effectiveness on several occasions.
• The commissioning of INAS 335 will provide a major boost to the Indian Navy’s integral aviation capabilities, significantly enhancing its operational readiness. The induction of the MH-60R will further strengthen India’s blue-water capabilities by extending the Navy’s operational reach and enabling sustained naval operations .
• Deployment of the Seahawk helicopters in the Indian Ocean Region will reinforce the Indian Navy’s maritime presence and deter potential threats.
• The Indian Navy had commissioned its first squadron of the multi-role MH-60R helicopters on March 6 last year at Kochi, marking the beginning of a new chapter in its maritime aviation capability.

• Bill for overhaul of higher education regulatory framework likely soon

Context: In its new Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan Bill, 2025, set to be introduced in Parliament this Winter Session, the Union government has proposed an “overhaul of the regulatory framework” of higher education in India by establishing a 12-member Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) umbrella commission, under which separate regulatory (viniyaman), accreditation (gunvatta), and standards (manak) councils will operate.

• This Bill, listed in the Lok Sabha bulletin for the Winter Session, seeks to subsume the functions of the University Grants Commission (UGC), the All India Council for Technical Education, and the National Council for Teachers’ Education.
• It further proposes that the UGC’s grants-disbursal function be performed “through mechanisms devised by the Ministry of Education”.
• Citing its pursuit of the National Education Policy, 2020, the government, in the Statement of Objects and Reasons, said the Bill would “enable and empower universities and other higher educational institutions to achieve excellence in teaching, learning, research and innovation, as an outcome of better co-ordination and determination of standards in institutions for higher education or research and scientific and technical institutions”.
• In this Bill, the government has provided for the creation of the Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA), which will consist of 12 members. The Viksit Bharat Viniyaman Parishad (regulatory), the Viksit Bharat Gunvatta Parishad (accreditation), and the Viksit Bharat Manak Parishad (standards) will operate under this, with up to 14 members each.
• The law is proposed to be applicable to all Central and State universities, colleges, and higher education institutions, including those for technical education, teacher education, architects’ education, institutions of national importance, and institutes of eminence. It has exempted professional programmes in disciplines such as medicine, dentistry, law, pharmacology, nursing, and veterinary sciences.

Foreign universities

• While the Bill gives the Accreditation Council a mandate to develop an “outcome-based institutional accreditation framework”, it has mandated the Regulatory Council to set standards for Centre-approved foreign universities to operate in India, “facilitate high-performing universities” to set up campuses abroad, and develop a “coherent policy to prevent commercialisation of higher education”, among others.

• With new Bill, demand-led job scheme set to turn supply-driven

Context: Viksit Bharat — Guarantee For Rozgar And Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill proposes to increase guaranteed workdaysfrom 100 to 125, but raises the financial burden on States and dismantles the demand-driven structure of the MGNREGA.

MGNREGA is now Viksit Bharat — Guarantee For Rozgar And Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)

• The Union government is set to introduce the Viksit Bharat — Guarantee For Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 in the Lok Sabha. The move will mark a shift from a “demand-driven framework” to a “supply-driven scheme”.
• Under the new system, allocations will be capped at a fixed budget determined by the Union government based on “parameters” not yet specified. Employment will be provided only in rural areas notified by the Centre.
• While the VB-G RAM G Bill increases the number of guaranteed workdays from 100 to 125, it significantly raises the financial burden on States from the current 10% share to 40% of total expenditure. The government circulated the Bill among MPs on Monday, framing it as legislation to “establish a rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047”.
• Under the MGNREGA, the Union government was responsible for 100% of the labour wages and 75% of the material wages.

• New Bill set to shift job scheme to supply-driven

Context: In practice, this translated to a 90:10 cost share between the Centre and the States. However, Section 22(2) of the Bill says “the fund-sharing pattern between the Union government and the State governments shall be 90:10 for the north-eastern States, Himalayan States/Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir), and 60:40 for all other States and Union Territories with legislature”.

• While this increases the financial burden on States, the new Bill gives the Centre greater control over where and how the scheme will be implemented. Section 4(5) says: “The Central government shall determine the State-wise normative allocation for each financial year, based on objective parameters as may be prescribed by the Central government.” The MGNREGA was demand-based and allowed flexibility to increase the budget based on need.
• The Centre will not only set the budget for each State but also decide where it will be spent. Section 5(1) empowers the Union government to “notify rural areas in a State” where the scheme will be implemented.
• The new Bill allows for pausing the programme during peak agricultural seasons to “facilitate availability of labour”. Technological interventions introduced under the MGNREGA — such as mobile app-based attendance, Aadhaar-based payment systems, and geotagging of worksites — are now codified into law.
• Nikhil Dey, a founder member of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (MKSS) and one of the architects of the MGNREGA, criticised the move, calling it a retreat from the rights-based framework enjoyed for two decades.

• Trade deficit falls to $6.6 bn. in Nov. due to merchandise export growth

Context: India’s trade deficit plummeted by more than 61% in November to $6.6 billion, due to strong growth in merchandise exports and a fall in merchandise imports. Notably, India’s exports to the U.S. in November 2025 were higher than in October 2025, as well as in November last year.

• Data released by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry showed that total exports grew 15.5% to $74 billion in November, while total imports slid 0.6% to $80.6 billion. The further disaggregated data showed that merchandise exports grew 19.4% to $38.1 billion in November. Merchandise exports had fallen 11.8% in October.
• “In terms of merchandise exports, November 2025 has seen the highest exports out of any November in the last 10 years,” Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said. “The November data takes care of the worries that arose after the October data.”
• The data show that India’s exports to the U.S. grew 22.6% to $6.98 billion in November compared to November 2024. This was also 10.7% higher than in October 2024.
• “…the November data shows our trade relations with the U.S. are going on well, and this is a positive sign,” he said.
• Merchandise imports fell 1.9% to $62.7 billion in November. These were 17.6% lower than in October, when they had surged due to gold imports. Gold imports fell nearly 60% to $4 billion in November compared to November 2024 and by nearly 73% compared to October.

• Govt. to send VBSA Bill to JPC

Context: The Union government on Monday proposed that the new Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhishthan (VBSA) Bill, 2025, which seeks to overhaul the higher education regulatory framework by replacing the University Grants Commission (UGC), be sent to a Joint Parliamentary Committee with members from both Houses.

• Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan afternoon tabled the Bill even as MPs from across Opposition parties opposed it.
• Opposition MPs from Kerala and Tamil Nadu objected to the nomenclature of the legislation, arguing that by choosing to name the Bill and the new authorities proposed in it in Hindi, the Union government was “imposing Hindi” on non-Hindi-speaking States.
• After hearing the objections to the introduction of the Bill – which will subsume the functions of the UGC, the All India Council for Technical Education, and the National Council for Teacher Education – Mr. Pradhan moved to introduce the Bill amid uproar. Following this, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju rose and said the government had decided to propose that this Bill be sent to a joint committee constituted by the Speaker.
• Mr. Rijiju said that in the meeting of the Lok Sabha’s Business Advisory Committee, “Many members have requested that this is an extensive Bill and we need further deliberation on it.”
• The Coordination Committee Against HECI (VBSA) held a press conference in New Delhi, insisting that the Bill was a “revived” version of the 2018 Higher Education Commission of India Bill, which had received thousands of adverse reactions and was subsequently put on hold. The committee, a coalition of over 30 teacher and student associations and unions, argued that this Bill was a “structural shift to dismantle public-funded higher education in India”.

• Government holds back Bill seeking amendment to Anti Cow Slaughter Act

Context: The State government is learnt to have decided to drop its earlier plan to bring the Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle (Amendment) Bill, 2025, before the ongoing legislature session in Belagavi.

• The Bill that seeks to provide for release of vehicles seized during the illegal transportation of cattle for slaughtering on submission of “indemnity bond” instead of “Bank guarantee”, that is equivalent of the value of vehicle as prescribed in the Act, will not come up before the ongoing winter session, according to sources in the government.
• The government had desisted from tabling it, though it had been mentioned in the Legislative Assembly’s agenda last week among other Bills that were to be tabled in the House. The Bill had been cleared by the State Cabinet for bringing up before the winter session, at the Cabinet meeting held in Bengaluru on December 12.
• Sources in the government said that the decision to put the Bill on hold had been taken as the government did not want any controversy to erupt at this point of time.
• It is learnt that a section of the ruling party MLAs have expressed a view that the Bill, though aimed at helping poor vehicle owners who earn their livelihood by operating on a hire basis, may provide a handle to the Opposition to launch an attack at the government on communal lines.
• Protests had been staged by Hindutva organisations against the proposed Bill in some parts of the State soon after the Cabinet gave clearance to bring it up before the winter session.
• The government had earlier stated that it was planning to bring such an amendment to substitute the word “indemnity bond” in the place of “bank guarantee” in the Act in tune with the Karnataka High Court’s order dated October 27, 2022. It had directed the authorities to release the vehicle seized in connection with illegal transportation of cattle on production of “indemnity bond”.
• Sources in the government said that though the Bill sought to provide for “only a very minor amendment”, it was decided that it would not be taken up now as it could turn controversial.
• The Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Act, 2020, had been notified by the then BJP government in February, 2021. The legislation prescribes a ban on slaughtering of all cattle, including cow, calf, and bull. It seeks to ban the slaughter of buffalo if the animals are below 13 years of age.

• ‘Wasps can playa big role in controlling pests’

Context: Wasps have a great potential to be beneficial insects and can play a larger ecological role in controlling pests, said Raghavendra Gadagkar, professor and National Science Chair, Centre for Ecological Sciences, IISc.

• Delivering the T.N. Ananthakrishnan Birth Centenary Lecture on “You are how much you eat: Caste and nutrition in the Indian paper wasp, Ropalidia marginata”, Dr. Gadagkar said that for a long time the focus on beneficial insects has been bees and that nobody really looked at the wasps.
• “But in recent years, it has been recorded that wasps are excellent predators of pests and they are being used now for pest control. In the last five to 10 years people have woken up to the possibilities of wasps playing a larger ecological role especially in terms of pest control,” Dr. Gadagkar said.
• He added that nutrition is the key and that wasps which eat more become egg-layers, and well-fed larvae develop into adults who feed more and become egg layers.
• “Wasps who feed more develop ovaries early. Behaviourally dominant and well- fed wasps tend to leave their natal nets to find new nests either alone or jointly. They prepare for this future by altering their behaviour both on and off the nest,” he added.
• S.N. Puri, former Vice-Chancellor, MPKV, Rahuri & Central Agricultural University, Imphal, emphasised the importance of research on technologies used in natural farming and standardisation of drone application for delivering various biocontrol agents.
• J.P. Singh, Plant Protection Adviser, Government of India, briefed about the National Pest Surveillance Scheme and stressed the importance of pest scouting for deciding the right dose and use of pesticides.

• State orders immediate solar connectivity for government hospitals

Context: The Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Ltd. (KPTCL) has directed all electricity supply companies (Escoms) to immediately provide connectivity to solar rooftop systems installed in government hospitals, after it was found that several facilities had been denied integration due to long-pending dues.

• In a communication to the Managing Directors of Bescom, Hescom, Mescom, Gescom, and Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation (CESC), the KPTCL noted that hospitals, given their essential and uninterrupted public service role, cannot be deprived of solar power on account of financial arrears.
• The government has taken a serious view of the delays, the letter said, and instructed all field officers to facilitate immediate connection and ensure compliance without further lapse.

Units in 3,600 places

• The directive comes as the Health Department accelerated efforts to bring down electricity expenditure through large-scale solar adoption.
• Karnataka has emerged as the first State in the country to install solar power units in 3,600 government health centres within a year, achieving 80% to 85% savings in electricity bills, according to officials.
• The installations are supported through CSR funds under the Saura Swasthya scheme, implemented in partnership with the SELCO Foundation. The initiative aims to ensure uninterrupted power supply across rural health institutions, benefiting more than three crore people.
• Since its launch in November 2024, solar units have been installed in around 3,000 centres, with over 1,150 facilities fully solarised. Work is under way in nearly 1,300 sub-centres, and the department expects to reach 3,700 installations by the year-end.
• By 2026, Karnataka plans to solarise 5,000 health facilities, including 2,877 sub-centres, 1,971 Primary Health Centres (PHCs), 28 Urban PHCs, 12 Community Health Centres and 112 taluk hospitals.
• The sub-centres are equipped with 0.25 kW to 1 kW rooftop units, PHCs with 4kW to 5 kW systems, and taluk hospitals with capacities of up to 10 kW.

Reduction in bills

• The ₹120-crore project has already generated power savings of more than three megawatts and reduced electricity bills by up to 70% in covered facilities. Monthly savings are expected to touch ₹50 lakh, amounting to over ₹100 crore over a decade, by reducing reliance on grid power and diesel generators.
• Minister for Health Dinesh Gundu Rao told The Hindu that the project would help strengthen healthcare delivery in rural pockets. “Saura Swasthya will not only ensure uninterrupted healthcare services but also lead to immense savings in electricity bills, which can be utilised to improve hospital infrastructure and patient care,” he said.
• Beyond installation, the SELCO Foundation is working on a long-term system sustainability through strengthened operation and maintenance (O&M). Remote Monitoring Systems enable real-time tracking, while a dedicated Saura e-Mitra mobile app allows health staff to raise service requests.
• Of the 626 complaints logged so far, 314 have been resolved, and more than 2,000 personnel have been trained in maintenance.
• The State has also set up India’s first Solar O&M Learning Centre for health institutions in Raichur, aimed at building local technical capacity. “The initiative is lowering electricity costs, reducing CO2 emissions, and strengthening uninterrupted healthcare delivery for last-mile communities,” said SELCO Foundation director Huda Jaffer.

• Raj Kumar Goyal takes oath as CIC; 8 more sworn in

Context: President Droupadi Murmu on Monday administered the oath of office to former Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer Raj Kumar Goyal as the Chief Information Commissioner of the Central Information Commission. Mr. Goyal took charge and administered the oath of office to eight new Information Commissioners in the presence of two incumbent Information Commissioners, Anandi Ramalingam and Vinod Kumar Tiwari

• The new appointees are Surendra Singh Meena, Ashutosh Chaturvedi, Swagat Das, Sudha Rani Relangi, P.R. Ramesh, Khushwant Singh Sethi, Jaya Varma Sinha, and Sanjeev Kumar Jindal. The Central Information Commission, set up under the RTI Act with up to 10 members, now has a full panel for the first time in nine years.

• PM Modi arrives in Jordan, says his visit will boost bilateral linkages

Context: Prime Minister Narendra Modi said that his visit to Jordan will boost bilateral linkages between the two nations. He was speaking after arriving in Amman on the first leg of his three-nation trip aimed at further strengthening ties.

• In a special gesture emblematic of the close ties between the two countries, Mr. Modi was warmly received by Jordanian Prime Minister Jafar Hassan at the airport and accorded a ceremonial welcome.
• “Landed in Amman. Thankful to Mr. Jafar Hassan, Prime Minister of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, for the warm welcome at the airport,” Mr. Modi said in a post on social media.
• “I am sure this visit will boost bilateral linkages between our nations,” he added. This full-fledged bilateral visit to Jordan is taking place after 37 years, coinciding with the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
• Jordan is the first leg of Modi’s four-day, three-nation tour, which will also take him to Ethiopia and Oman.
• “It is an honour to welcome Prime Minister @narendramodi of the Republic of India to Jordan today, as a valued guest, in a visit that reflects seventy-five years of close and enduring relations,” the Jordanian Prime Minister said in a post on social media.
• “We look forward to broader horizons of cooperation between our two countries, particularly in the economic, investment, and technological fields,” he added.
• Modi will meet King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein for a one-on-one talk followed by a delegation-level meeting. On Tuesday, the Prime Minister and the King would address an India-Jordan business event, which will be attended by leading businessmen from both countries.
• The Prime Minister, along with the Crown Prince, is scheduled to visit Petra, the historic city that shares ancient trade linkages with India, subject to weather conditions.
• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, this is Prime Minister Modi’s first full-fledged bilateral visit to Jordan.
• Modi had transited through Jordan in February 2018, while on his way to Palestine.
• India and Jordan share strong economic ties, with New Delhi being Amman’s third-largest trading partner.

• SHANTI Bill to allow private sector to make, run nuclear power plants

Context: The Centre introduced in the Lok Sabha on Monday the SHANTI Bill that aims to incentivise private sector participation, both Indian and foreign, into nuclear power production. It does this by replacing India’s existing laws — the Atomic Energy Act, 1962, and the Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage (CLND) Act, 2010, — with the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear energy for Transforming India (SHANTI) Bill, 2025.

• The latter creates an atomic energy regulatory structure that is answerable to Parliament, removes the Nuclear Power Corporation of India’s monopoly over operating nuclear plants, and restricts the instances under which nuclear power plant operators can claim compensation from suppliers of equipment in case of an accident.
• Simultaneously, it also buffers operators by introducing limits on the extent of their liability, in case of violating the laws under the Act, based on the size of the plants they operate, and limits the maximum penalty on them to ₹1 crore even in the case of a “severe breach”.
• “The Bill proposes a revised and pragmatic civil liability framework for nuclear damage, confers statutory status on the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), and strengthens mechanisms related to safety, security, safeguards, quality assurance and emergency preparedness,” a statement by the Union Ministry of Science and Technology said. Jitendra Singh, Minister of State for Science and Technology, introduced the Bill.
• Privatising the nuclear power sector, which currently makes up 1.5% of India’s installed power capacity, and 3% of the electricity produced, has been on the government’s agenda in recent years to boost clean energy production, improve grid stability, and move towards its 2070 net-zero (zero net-carbon emissions) targets.
• This includes scaling-up installed nuclear power to 100 GW, up from the current 8.8 GW, by 2047; a ₹20,000 crore mission launched in the Union Budget this year to develop ‘small modular reactors’; and a slew of customised 220 MW pressurised heavy water reactors.
• “The Bill gives hope for large-scale innovation in nuclear technology through amendments in patent laws, aligns with global liability conventions, and proposes the expansion of nuclear energy projects through private sector participation. Any explanation regarding the CNLD Act of 2010 seemed inadequate to foreign and domestic suppliers and vendors,” M.P. Ram Mohan, Professor, Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.

• SIR process is based on Constitutional framework: Centre

Context: Citing precedence, Law Minister says EC’s revision took place earlier too under various governments; Opposition continues criticism over exercise.

• The Union government on Monday defended the special intensive revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, and said the guiding principle for the exercise was universal adult franchise.
• During a discussion on electoral reforms in the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition continued to attack the Centre over the SIR.
• Congress leader Digvijaya Singh said elections were not being held in a transparent manner as the BJP wanted to establish a ‘fascist state’ without elections. Former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda said the Opposition would continue to get defeated in elections if it tarnished the image of the Election Commission every time.
• Senior Congress MP Randeep Singh Surjewala demanded that the Chief Justice of India continue to be a part of the committee to select the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners.
• Participating in the debate, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said the SIR was based on the constitutional framework created by B.R. Ambedkar. Quoting Dr. Ambedkar, he said the revision of the voters’ list was based on the principle of ‘one person, one vote’, which was a major pillar of election reforms.
• “Our Constitution and electoral process is based on this principle. So, when under SIR, the same is being undertaken to take out people who are not eligible from voter lists, why are they [Opposition parties] opposing it?” the Minister asked, and cited precedence that SIR took place under various governments earlier.
• Mr. Gowda said every party had lost elections, but never mocked any Prime Minister or public institution. “India is a very big country… Remember my friends, please, by using the words ‘vote chori’ (theft) you are going to suffer in the coming days,” he added. Mr. Surjewala said the SIR was a ‘selective ideological removal’ and added that Dr. Ambedkar had wanted the EC not to be under the executive and that right to vote should be a fundamental right.
• Mr. Digvijaya Singh demanded removal of the ceiling on electoral expenses to ensure transparency in the election process.

• Unemployment rate dips to 4.7% in November: PLFS

Context: The unemployment rate (UR) among people aged 15 years and above declined to 4.7% in November, the lowest level since April, when it stood at 5.1%, according to the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report for November released.

• The PLFS, conducted by the National Statistical Office (NSO) of the Ministry of Statistics & Programme Implementation (MoSPI), stated that the overall Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) increased to 55.8% in November, the highest level recorded since April.
• According to a MoSPI statement based on the PLFS report, the rise in LFPR was primarily driven by rural areas, where it increased to 58.6% in November from 58% in April.
• On a month-on-month basis, the rural LFPR rose from 57.8% in October, while the urban LFPR decreased marginally from 50.5% to 50.4%.
• Overall, the female LFPR showed a steady rise from June 2025 to November 2025, the MoSPI said.
• “It increased from 32% to 35.1% during this period, driven mainly by higher labour force participation in rural areas, while urban female LFPR remained relatively stable. Rural female LFPR recorded a consistent upward movement, rising from 35.2% in June 2025 to 39.7% in November 2025,” it added.
• The Worker Population Ratio (WPR) for persons aged 15 years and above in rural areas increased from 55.4% in April 2025 to 56.3% in November 2025, while the overall WPR rose from 52.8% to 53.2%.
• “Urban WPR remained largely stable. Notably, rural female WPR improved from 36.8% in April 2025 to 38.4% in November 2025, driving the rise in overall female WPR from 32.5% to 33.4% over this period,” the Centre said.
• The NSO surveyed 3,73,229 people for the PLFS. 2,13,337 from rural and 1,59,892 from urban areas were surveyed in this round.

• INR depreciates to anotherall time low of ₹90.78 a dollar

Context: The Indian rupee depreciated to a new low of ₹90.78 a dollar amid continuous foreign investment outflows and elongated period of uncertainty around tariffs.

• The rupee opened at ₹90.5 and depreciated to ₹90.79, before settling at a new all-time low of ₹90.78 against the U.S. dollar. Foreign institutional investors (FIIs) had sold Indian equities worth ₹17,821 crore between December 1 and December 15 alone.

• Thermal power requirement projected to grow to 307 GW

Context: The projected thermal power requirement is expected to grow to 307 gigawatts (GW) by 2035, Union Minister for Commerce Piyush Goyal said in response to a question.

• Speaking to reporters he said progress was being constantly made to meet the energy requirement of the country. He informed that in the previous fiscal 7.2 GW-worth capacity was commissioned.

• India, Mexico in talks to mitigate tariff hike impact, says Agrawal

Context: Commerce secretary says the proposed 50% tariffs would impact $2 bn worth of exports, moots preferential trade pact for quick resolution.

• India and Mexico are discussing ways to mitigate the impact of Mexico’s proposed tariff increases on countries it does not have a free trade agreement with, which includes India, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal.
• A quick way to resolve the issue would be through a Preferential Trade Agreement, he said, adding that the proposed tariffs would impact about $2 billion worth of exports from India to Mexico.
• The Mexican government had on December 3 re-submitted to its Parliament a previous proposal to hike tariffs to 50% on imports from countries which it had accorded Most Favoured Nation (MFN) status and had not signed a trade agreement with.
• “Tariffs have been increased on a most-favoured nation basis, within the World Trade Organization framework,” Mr. Agrawal said at a press briefing on Monday.
• “When MFN tariffs are increased, it impacts non-Free Trade Agreement and non-Bilateral Trade Agreement partners. That is how it will impact India as well.”
• He added that due to the tariffs being on an MFN basis and within the legal framework of the World Trade Organization (WTO), India would not have recourse at the WTO to challenge the decision. However, it is engaging bilaterally with Mexico to find a way forward.
• “According to the initial proposal that was supposed to come into effect from August 2026, the impact on Indian exports would have been $3.8 billion,” Mr. Agrawal said.
• “Subsequently, we have been engaged with them and we flagged that, though this was within their legal rights to raise these tariffs, it would not be good for trade. The final plan they have come out with will have an impact of $2 billion on India exports.” The tariffs are expected to impact India’s automobile, two-wheelers, auto parts, textiles, iron and steel, plastics, and leather and footwear exports to Mexico.
• “The Embassy of India raised immediate concerns with Mexico’s Ministry of Economy on September 30, which clarified that the measure is not directed against India and reaffirmed its commitment to the bilateral relationship,” Mr. Agrawal said.
• He added that, from what “he has heard”, Mexico’s move is primarily aimed at reducing imports from China.
• “The only fast way forward is to get into a Preferential Trade Agreement, because a Free Trade Agreement would take a lot of time.”

• India-U.S. ‘very close’ to finalising initial framework deal

Context: India and the U.S. are “very close” to finalising an initial trade agreement on reciprocal tariffs, Commerce Secretary Rajesh Agrawal said, although he declined from specifying a deadline for it.

• On the negotiations with the European Union, Mr. Agrawal said both sides are at the final stage where all that is left are the topics where the two sides have differences, which are gradually being resolved.
• “On the India-U.S. trade deal, we have done six formal rounds of negotiations where we have discussed both the full-fledged Bilateral Trade Agreement for which we signed the Terms of Reference in March and also an interim framework deal that can address the reciprocal tariffs,” Mr. Agrawal said at a press conference. “We are very close on at least the framework deal which we feel can be done in a short period of time, but I would not like to put a time period to it,” he added.
• In the case of the negotiations with the European Union on a Free Trade Agreement, the Commerce Secretary said that the two sides are consistently narrowing down their differences.
• “What happens when you reach the closure of a deal, there are a set of differences on the table where we are not able to agree,” Mr. Agrawal said. “Every meeting helps us reduce those differences. Every day our teams are engaged on some issue or the other.”
• “I will not say there will be formal rounds from now, but there will continue to be physical and virtual meetings to take this forward towards conclusion,” he explained. 
• On the negotiations with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), which includes Russia, Mr. Agrawal said that talks are still in an early stage but that the next round of negotiations are proposed to be in February 2026.
• “With New Zealand, we did the fourth round in November 2025, which was a formal round,” he said. “After that some physical meetings have taken place as well as virtual.”
• “On the India-Chile FTA, the fourth round happened in early December and we are progressing well there,” he said

• Lawmakers set to debate 100% FDI in insurance proposal

Context: India’s proposal to permit 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) in insurance that figured in Budget FY26 announcements is set to be debated by lawmakers as the Bill mooting this and a clutch of a few other amendments to key insurance laws was circulated to Members of Parliament.

• The aggregate holdings of equity shares by foreign investors, including portfolio investors, in an Indian insurance company may extend up to 100% of the paid-up equity capital.
• The investment will be subject to “such conditions and such manner as may be prescribed,” per the Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill, 2025, seeking to raise the FDI limit from 74%.
• The move is aimed at accelerating the growth in the insurance sector, according to the Bill to amend the Insurance Act, 1938; the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956; and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999.

Source: The Hindu

UPSC/KPSC Current Affairs: 14th December 2025

UPSC/KPSC Current Affairs: 13th December 2025

• Retail inflation moves up marginally to 0.7% in Nov.

Context: Inflation has slowed in seven of the first eight months of the financial year; decline in food prices offsets marginal acceleration in fuel inflation; prices in housing segment stay virtually unchanged.

• Retail inflation in India quickened marginally to 0.7% in November 2025, up from the historic low of 0.25% in October 2025, with a continued contraction in food prices offsetting a marginal acceleration in fuel inflation. November’s inflation rate is the second-lowest ever recorded in the current series of the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
• Inflation as measured by the CPI, for which the latest data were released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation on Friday, has slowed in seven of the first eight months of this financial year.
• The food and beverages category saw prices contract by 2.8% in November 2025, as compared to a high base of 8.2% in November of last year, and a contraction of 3.7% in October 2025.
• “The factors driving inflation downwards have been the same: base effect and decline in prices of vegetables and pulses,” Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at the Bank of Baroda said. “In particular, potatoes, onions and tomatoes have witnessed a decline, leading to food inflation falling by 3.9%. In the food basket, edible oils witnessed sharp increases though the topline number was down to 7.9%. Mustard and coconut oil were the main drivers of inflation here.”
• This contraction in food prices offset the impact of a quickening in fuel inflation to 2.3% in November 2025, compared to 2% in October, and a contraction of 1.8% in November of last year. Inflation in the pan, tobacco, and intoxicants category quickened marginally in November 2025 to 3% from 2.9% in October.
• The clothing and footwear category, on the other hand, saw inflation ease marginally to 1.5% from 1.7%.
• Inflation in the housing category remained virtually unchanged at 2.95% in November 2025 as compared to 2.96% in October.

• AI Centre of Excellence for Healthcare established at IISc

Context: The Translational AI for Networked Universal Healthcare (TANUH) Foundation has been established at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru as a dedicated AI Centre of Excellence in Healthcare to advance AI-driven healthcare innovation at scale in the country.

• This has been established in line with the government of India’s vision of ‘Make AI in India and Make AI Work for India’, and the Ministry of Education has set up four Centres of Excellence in Artificial Intelligence (AI-CoEs), each hosted by a premier academic institution in India, including IISc.
• The institute stated that the TANUH AI-CoE is a Section 8 not-for-profit company that focuses on developing and deploying scalable AI solutions for the effective management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) at the point of care. The centre operates as a multidisciplinary hub, bringing together clinicians, data scientists, and AI researchers.
• Nine faculty members from IISc, spanning digital health, machine learning, and public health, anchor the centre’s research programmes. TANUH’s core team, comprising executives, engineers, programme managers, and research staff, with significant industry experience, enables the translation of health-AI technologies from the lab to the population scale.
• TANUH’s goal is to design and deploy tools for early detection, risk prediction, monitoring and personalised solutions across high-burden conditions such as oral cancer, breast cancer, retinal diseases, diabetes, and mental health. The tools will help frontline health workers, improve primary and hospital care, and include human decision-making to make sure the care is safe and effective. The solutions are designed to be used directly where patients are treated, follow responsible AI standards, and are created and tested together with doctors and researchers.

• About 31% of SCSP/TSP funds used for guarantee schemes since 2023

Context: Minister defends move stating Section 7(C) of the SCSP/TSP Act allows utilisation of the funds in tune with SC/ST population.

• The State government has used a significant share of the amount earmarked for the Scheduled Castes Sub Plan (SCSP) and Tribal Sub Plan (TSP) towards implementing the five guarantee schemes of the Congress government since 2023.
• According to statistics shared by Social Welfare Minister H.C. Mahadevappa, in response to a question by Hemalatha Nayak in the Legislative Council in Belagavi on Friday, of the total amount spent towards SCSP and TSP, as much as 31%, has been utilised for the guarantee schemes.
• The total amount for SCSP and TSP for the year 2023-24 was ₹35,221.8 crore, and of that, ₹34,369.85 crore was released, and finally, ₹34,245.76 crore was spent. In the year 2024-24, the total amount spent for SCSP and TSP was ₹38,717.74 crore. In the current year, up to November 2025, the government had spent ₹14,938.19 crore towards the SCSP and TSP.
• Since the Congress party came to power in 2023, the government has spent a total of ₹87,901.69 crore for SCSP and TSP. This amount includes ₹27,630.2 crore spent towards the guarantee schemes.
• The Minister, in his reply, defended the utilisation of SCSP/TSP funds for the guarantee schemes, stating that Section 7(C) of the SCSP/TSP Act allows utilisation of the funds in tune with the population of SC and ST.
• He stated that the amount utilised for guarantee schemes reached the beneficiaries of the SC and ST communities.

Bus travellers

• Interestingly, he stated that his department had sought information from the Transport Department about the number of SC and ST women who had benefited from the Shakti scheme, under which women passengers could travel free in KSRTC buses. Ms. Nayak, the MLC, wondered how the Transport Department could share the information of the SC/ST passengers, as they do not collect the caste details while issuing tickets.
• Leader of Opposition Chalavadi Narayanaswamy appealed to Chairman Basavaraj Horatti to allot suitable time for a detailed discussion on the issue.

• Civil society group flags concerns over Karnataka hate speech Bill

Context: A civil society organisation has urged the Karnataka government to subject the proposed Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025, to wider public consultation before it is tabled in the Legislative Council. It has already been tabled in the Assembly.

• While welcoming the intent behind the legislation, Campaign Against Hate Speech, the organisation, said the Bill in its present form raises several concerns that warrant careful review.
• In a representation to the government, the group said the Bill marks an important acknowledgement of the harm hate speech and hate crimes inflict on constitutional values of fraternity and dignity. Stating that such acts disproportionately target women, minority and queer communities, they cautioned that the current version risks being ineffective and may leave scope for misuse.
• A key concern is the Bill’s definition of “hate crime”, which is limited to communication of hate speech. “This creates a false equivalence between speech and physical acts of violence, and fails to recognise offences such as mob lynching, punitive demolitions and social or economic boycotts. The Bill also provides no standalone punishment for hate speech, and relies on an emotion-based definition — an approach that has already led to weak enforcement under existing criminal laws,” the memorandum stated.
• The range of punishment for hate crimes was questioned for its lack of clarity, especially since the offence is non-bailable and cognisable. Sections granting broad “preventive” powers to the Executive Magistrate and police were flagged as potentially enabling arbitrary action, as the law does not define the scope of such powers or the due process requirements.
• Another point of concern, the group said, is the provision allowing a designated officer to block or remove online content construed as hate crime material even before trial.
• Emphasising that the Bill has far-reaching implications, the organisation cited the Supreme Court’s emphasis on meaningful public consultation and referred to the Centre’s 2014 Pre-Legislative Consultation Policy.

• Census 2027 to cost ₹11,718 crore, no separate budget earmarked for NPR

Context: The Union Cabinet on Friday approved the proposal for conducting Census of India 2027 at a cost of ₹11,718.24 crore, a government statement said.

• Unlike 2019, the statement does not mention a separate budgetary allocation for updating the National Population Register (NPR), which is the first step for the creation of a countrywide National Register of Citizens (NRC).
• In 2019, the Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi approved ₹3,941.35 crore for updating the NPR and ₹8,754.23 crore for conducting the Census of India 2021, which could not be conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• NPR, which was first collected in 2010 and updated in 2015 and already has a database of 119 crore residents, was to be updated with the first phase of Census in 2020. On July 29, the government informed the Lok Sabha that no decision has been taken to update the NPR during the forthcoming Census exercise.
• Union Home Minister Amit Shah posted on X, “The outcome of the Census 2027 will serve as the new compass for development, mirroring India’s latest population data with more accuracy. The precision in data will accelerate Modi Ji’s vision of delivering the benefits of good governance and development to citizens of every demographic denomination, making the slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’ a grand reality of New India in the Amrit Kaal.”
• The government’s statement on Friday said that the “largest administrative and statistical exercise in the world” will ensure that data are provided to Ministries in a “clean, machine-readable and actionable format” as part of the “Census-as-a-Service (CaaS)” initiative.
• This will be the first digital Census and the first to enumerate caste in independent India. “The current endeavour would be to make available the coming Census data at the shortest possible time across the country. Efforts will also be made to disseminate Census results with more customised visualisation tools,” the statement said.
• The government said that a nearly 18,600-strong technical workforce will be engaged for about 550 days at the local level.
• “The enumerators, generally government teachers and appointed by the State governments, will be doing the field work of Census in addition to their regular duties,” it said.
• Data will be collected using mobile applications and a dedicated portal, namely Census Management and Monitoring System, has been developed for monitoring the Census process in real time.

• Framework to fight fake news has been made strong: Minister

Context: The government has strengthened the framework to combat fake news and deepfakes across media platforms, Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting Ashwini Vaishnaw said in the Rajya Sabha.

• In response to the questions asked by Mohammed Nadimul Haque (Trinamool Congress), the Union Minister said free speech is protected under Article 19(1) of the Constitution.
• “The government is cognisant of the increasing instances of fake, false, misleading information, and AI-generated deepfakes across media platforms, which can adversely impact democratic processes and public order,” said the reply.

Statutory framework

• A broad statutory and institutional framework already exists to address fake news across various media platforms, the Minister said.
• TV channels follow the Programme Code under the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, which prohibits content that is obscene, defamatory, deliberately false, or that contains suggestive innuendos and half-truths.
• The rules framed under the Act establish a three-tier grievance redressal mechanism to address violations.
• For the print media, Norms of Journalistic Conduct issued by the Press Council of India restrain the publication of fake, defamatory, or misleading news. It can inquire into alleged violations of the norms, examine complaints, and issue warnings.
• There is Code of Ethics under Information Technology Rules 2021 for publishers of news and current affairs on digital media.
• The Fact Check Unit (FCU) has been set up under the Press Information Bureau to check fake news related to the government.

• Govt. likely to rename MGNREGS to ‘Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana’

Context: The government is likely to introduce a Bill in the ongoing Winter session of Parliament amending the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), changing the name of the flagship rural employment scheme to “Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana”.

• According to senior government functionaries, the amended Bill was cleared by the Union Cabinet in its meeting.
• There was no official announcement on the proposal at the Cabinet briefing addressed by Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw.
• The original Bill passed by Parliament on August 25, 2005, was called the “National Rural Employment Guarantee Act”. The suffix “Mahatma Gandhi” was added in 2009.
• The flagship scheme guarantees up to 100 days of wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. The sources also indicated that the government plans to increase this to 125 days.
• As per a written answer by the Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan on Friday in the Rajya Sabha, the average number of days of employment per household during the past five years comes to 50.35 days. He also noted that the scheme was a “fallback option when no better employment opportunity is available”.
• In 2022, the government had appointed a panel headed by former Union Rural Development Secretary Amarjeet Sinha to review the scheme, especially the inter-State variations, and lower expenditure under the scheme in States with higher poverty rates.
• The amended Bill is likely to take into account the panel’s recommendation, introducing exclusionary clauses based on economic indices of a State.
• The government is also likely to tweak the scheme’s funding pattern.

• RS resolution seeks free, compulsory early childhood care

Context: The Rajya Sabha discussed a private member’s resolution moved by nominated member Sudha Murty urging the Union government to consider steps to amend the Constitution to introduce a new Article 21B guaranteeing free and compulsory early childhood care and education (ECCE), including nutrition, health services, and pre-primary learning, for all children between three and six years of age.

• The resolution also sought universal access to quality ECCE through strengthened Anganwadi services and asked the government to focus on ECCE for its central role in securing strong foundations for lifelong learning and development.
• “Children are our future. They are the rising Sun. Their early education should benefit their life. Hence I request through you sir, to our government to consider amending our Constitution to give fundamental right to education from three to 14 years,” Ms. Murty said.

• UNEA adopts India’s proposal on wildfire management

Context: India’s push for a stronger global system to manage and prevent wildfires — centred on early-warning mechanisms and improved risk assessments — was formally adopted at the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-7) in Nairobi, the Environment Ministry said in a statement.

• India’s resolution, titled “Strengthening the Global Management of Wildfires,” calls for a shift from reactive firefighting to proactive prevention. Officials said these measures are essential to address what India called the “cascading ecological, economic and social impacts” of today’s fires.

• ‘Cover doctors deputed for COVID-19 duty under PMGKY’

Context: The Supreme Court observed that the nation must not forget the unwavering sacrifice and heroism of doctors and health workers during the pandemic days while holding that the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojna (PMGKY) insurance package benefits would apply to public and private medical professionals drafted into COVID-19 duties, only to lose their lives in service.

• The Indian Medical Association’s COVID-19 registry records 748 doctors’ deaths in the first wave and hundreds more in subsequent waves.
• The PMGKY package offered a comprehensive personal accident cover of ₹50 lakh for 90 days to a total of around 22.12 lakh public healthcare providers, including community health workers, who were in direct contact and care of COVID-19 patients.
• The verdict came in a petition filed on the death of a doctor who ran a private clinic in Maharashtra. Dr. B.S. Surgade’s wife claimed his services were requisitioned by the government to keep his clinic open during the pandemic. She said he had fatally contracted the virus from his patients.

• ‘PF contributions on wages beyond ₹15,000 voluntary’

Context: The Union Labour and Employment Ministry has clarified that contributions by employers and employees to the Provident Fund in excess of the statutory monthly wage ceiling of ₹15,000 are voluntary, after the Code on Social Security and three other codes came into force on November 21.

• The Code on Social Security replaces the Employees’ Provident Funds and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 and eight other laws. Similarly, 20 separate laws are subsumed into the other three codes — Code on Wages; Industrial Relations Code, and the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code.
• In a post on social media platform X on Wednesday, the Ministry made it clear that “there is no legal requirement” for the contributions made over and above the wage ceiling. “In case the employer and the employee agree, they can voluntarily contribute on wages more than the statutory limit of ₹15,000.”
• It emphasised that there would be no reduction in take-home pay in the light of enforcement of the four codes. The Ministry gave an illustration to substantiate its position.
• Since September 2014, the present limit has been in force. It was against this backdrop that early this month, Kerala MPs Benny Behanan and Dean Kuriakose raised a question in the Lok Sabha whether the ceiling would be increased to ₹30,000.
• Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya replied that “raising the wage ceiling for coverage under EPFO [Employees’ Provident Fund Organisation] is done based on extensive stakeholders’ consultations, including trade unions and industry associations, as the same will have impact on the take-home salary of employees and on the hiring cost for employers.”

• Centre increases minimum support price for copra
• The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), here on Friday, decided to increase the Minimum Support Price (MSP) for copra for the 2026 market season.
• The MSP for fair average quality of milling copra has been fixed at ₹12,027 per quintal and for ball copra at ₹12,500 per quintal.
• The new rate is an increase of ₹445 per quintal for milling copra and ₹400 per quintal for ball copra over the previous season.

• India offers ‘final’ deal to U.S., but tariff removal is focus

Context: Offers ‘immediate’ removal of tariffs on import of items like walnutsand apples, but prioritises removal of 25% tariffs linked to Russian oil.

• India has offered the U.S. a revised “final” deal, but its priority now is the removal of the additional 25% tariffs linked to Russian oil, two different sources have confirmed .
• As per the latest submission, India has offered to “immediately” remove tariffs on the import of items like walnuts, almonds, apples, and industrial goods. However, these would be part of a larger Bilateral Trade Agreement, while India right now is focussing on the removal of the 25% tariffs. A U.S. team led by Deputy U.S. Trade Representative Rick Switzer was in New Delhi for two days until December 12.
• The U.S. currently imposes a 50% tariff on imports from India, including a 25% reciprocal tariff and a 25% ‘penalty’ for India’s import of Russian oil.
• “India has offered the U.S. team a revised deal,” an official in the Government of India aware of the latest developments in the trade deal told The Hindu on the condition of anonymity given the sensitivity of the issue. “This is the final offer that India can make.”
• “The focus now is on removing the 25% Russian oil tariffs,” the official explained. “Indian exporters have told the government that they can deal with 25% tariffs since the lowest global tariff is 19%, but 50% tariffs are hurting.” Two days ago, U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer, while testifying before the U.S. Senate Appropriations Committee, said that India was a “tough nut to crack”, but that the offers it has made to the U.S. were the “best we’ve ever received as a country”.
• According to a second official, Indian exporters are currently retaining customers by absorbing the higher tariffs as they feel that this is cheaper and easier than losing customers and then trying to reacquire them later. But this is eating into their profits.
• “They have appealed very sincerely to the government that at least the additional 25% tariff be handled and so the government is pushing for that,” the second official said.
• The latest version of India’s offer to the U.S. includes an offer to “immediately” remove tariffs on the import of tree nuts such as almonds and walnuts, apples, industrial goods, and items such as luxury motorcycles in return for the U.S. removing the additional 25% tariff.
• “The two teams of negotiators have broadly done what they can, the ball is in Trump’s court to accept the deal or not,” the second official said.
• This is confirmed by the fact that Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal on Thursday told reporters in Mumbai that Mr. Switzer’s visit was not “centred around negotiations”.
• A previous analysis of government trade data by The Hindu found that India has been cutting back on its Russian oil imports well before the U.S. imposed its penalty tariffs in August.

• ‘Nuclear, insurance opened up’
• India’s Cabinet approved sweeping changes to atomic energy laws and fully opened insurance sector to foreign investors, two government sources said, in a bid to attract billions of dollars in these two critical sectors.
• India, which plans to expand nuclear power capacity 12-fold by 2047, is relaxing rules to end a decades-old State monopoly and overcome a stringent liability provision to allow private participation and attract foreign technology. In insurance, the government proposed removing the 74% cap on foreign ownership of Indian insurers.

• Union Cabinet allows export of coal

Context: Paving the way for further coal exports, the Union Cabinet approved a policy allowing coal acquired through auctioning to be utilised for any industrial use and export.

• The current policy allows coal to be used only for cement, steel, sponge, iron and aluminium, etc. via auctions.
• Effectively, the Policy for Auction of Coal Linkage for Seamless, Efficient and Transparent Utilisation of coal (CoalSETU) would now allow guaranteed supply deals (coal linkages) obtained via auctions to be used for captive consumption, export, or any other purpose (including coal washing), except for resale in India. Those securing coal linkages would be allowed to use it via the window among subsidiaries or group firms.
• In FY25, India produced 1.05 billion tonne of coal.

• Technical textile missionlikely to be extended

Context: The National Technical Textiles Mission (NTTM) introduced by the Ministry of Textiles in 2020 with ₹1,480 crore in total funding, ending in March 2026 will likely be extended by two years.

• An official said with almost 50% of the funds used so far, the Mission is expected to be extended by two years. The Mission has four components — research, innovation and development; market development, export promotion and education and training.

• India frees up business visas for Chinese professionals in major step to boost ties

Context: India has cut red tape to speed business visas for Chinese professionals, two officials said, a major step to boost ties between the Asian giants and end chronic delays that cost output worth billions of dollars because of scarce technicians.

• As Prime Minister Narendra Modi cautiously rekindles ties with Beijing in the face of punishing U.S. tariffs, the officials said New Delhi dropped a layer of bureaucratic scrutiny and shortened visa approval times to less than a month.
• India had blocked virtually all Chinese visits after the nuclear-armed neighbours clashed on their Himalayan frontier in mid-2020, widening its vetting of business visas beyond the home and foreign ministries.
• Following the news, China’s Foreign Ministry said it had noticed “positive action” from India to facilitate people-to-people exchanges in the common interest. “China is willing to maintain communication and consultation with India to continuously enhance the level of facilitation of exchanges,” Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun added.
• The removal of red tape comes after Mr. Modi visited China this year for the first time in seven years.

UPSC/KPSC Current Affairs: 12th December 2025

UPSC/KPSC Current Affairs: 11th December 2025