UPSC/KPSC Current Affairs: 19th, 20th, 21st, 22nd, 23rd November 2025

UPSC/KPSC Current Affairs: 16th, 17th & 18th November 2025

UPSC/KPSC Current Affairs: 15th November 2025

• Government notifies Digital Personal Data Protection Act

Context: The Union government notified large parts of the Digital Personal Data Protection (DPDP) Act, 2023, addressing the need for a law to protect the data privacy of Indian citizens.

• The DPDP Rules, 2025 are also a significant step forward in compliance with the Supreme Court’s 2017 K.S. Puttaswamy v. Union of India judgment affirming the right to privacy.
• The law, passed in August 2023 in Parliament, requires firms to safeguard the digital data of Indian citizens, with exemptions for the “State and its instrumentalities”, and prescribes penalties for firms that breach these obligations.
• Meanwhile, transparency activists have said the law weakens the Right to Information Act, 2005 by removing the obligation of government bodies to provide “personal information” if the public interest outweighs a public official’s right to privacy.
• That amendment is in force. However, “data fiduciaries”, who collect and use personal data, will have until November 2026 to comply with some provisions, such as putting out the details of their designated Data Protection Officer. That same month, the Consent Manager framework, which allows firms to exercise data removal and amendment rights on behalf of “data principals” (users), will also come into force.
• It may take until May 2027 for large tech firms to be subject to the full force of the Act, which also provides for the constitution of the Data Protection Board of India (DPBI) by the Centre.
• Another notification — there were a total of four on Friday — sets the number of members in the DPBI at four. The board can hold inquiries in response to complaints and impose penalties in case of data breaches. The board’s members, who have not yet been chosen, will be appointed by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
• The DPDP Act, 2023, has gone through three major drafts since 2017, with the first draft in 2018 imposing conditions like data localisation that were furiously resisted by technology firms. The latest version of the Act, which strips out many of the requirements of the original draft, has been relatively better received among large Indian and global tech firms, which as “significant data fiduciaries,” would face additional compliance requirements.
• Nasscom, which represents the main IT and technology firms, said in a statement issued through its Data Security Council of India (DSCI) initiative that it welcomed the Rules, but had problems with the Act that could not be solved by “subordinate legislation”, such as tight rules around parental consent and short disclosure deadlines for breaches.
• “On international data transfers, Nasscom-DSCI recognises the importance of developing mechanisms that support interoperability and facilitate co-operation with India’s key trading partners,” Nasscom said.
• Delhi-based digital rights advocacy Internet Freedom Foundation said the notified Rules “do not address key structural concerns repeatedly raised by civil society” and rued the fact that they “[defer] most core obligations and rights” by a year and a half. The Rules “provides statutory backing for enabling personal data collection by state agencies with scant oversight, thereby entrenching state control over personal data,” the IFF said.

• India is pursuing FTAs with multiple countries: Goyal

Context: Union Minister of Industries & Commerce Piyush Goyal said India was holding negotiations with the European Union, the U.S., Oman, New Zealand, Chile, Peru, and a host of other countries to facilitate the free flow of capital, goods and services.

• “These Free Trade Agreements (FTAs) are coming at a time when the world order is being rewritten and there has been tremendous volatility all around as a consequence. Indian industries should be resilient in this scenario in order to benefit all of humanity,” he observed.
• Delivering his inaugural address at the 30th CII Partnership Summit-2025 in Visakhapatnam on Friday, Mr. Goyal said India was like an oasis in the desert amid the churning that was taking place in the world, as it enjoyed the trust of many countries.
• “The adoption of technology is a must for prosperity, and that trust has to be built through righteousness, for which global trade ties are being fostered,” he said.

• CJI to deal with claim that HC judge approached NCLAT member on order

Context: The Supreme Court trained the spotlight on Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, saying the top judge “must have” acted on the anguish of a judicial member on the Chennai Bench of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) who chose to recuse after recording in an order that “one of the most revered members of the higher judiciary” approached him for a decision favouring one of the parties in a high-stakes case.

• A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi said the matter was of “vital public importance” and the “law must take its course”.
• The NCLAT’s Chennai Bench led by the judicial member in question, Justice Sharad Kumar Sharma, passed the order on August 13 in an appeal filed by A.S. Reddy, the suspended director of Hyderabad-based KLSR Infratech, which is facing corporate insolvency resolution proceedings under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code. Justice Sharma is a retired Uttarakhand High Court judge, who was appointed to the NCLAT.
• The Supreme Court Bench was hearing a petition filed by M/s. AS Met Corp Pvt Ltd, the operational creditor of KLSR Infratech and the first respondent in the case.

‘Interference by judge’

• “The judicial member has preserved the WhatsApp message he received and the number. The message came from the Chief Justice of a High Court… That is why the judicial member recused,” advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing M/s. AS Met Corp Pvt Ltd, alleged.
• “We believe the competent authority [Chief Justice of India] must have examined the available material and taken necessary steps as required. All these issues will be effectively dealt with by the Chief Justice of India on the administrative side,” the Bench headed by Justice Kant observed. Justice Kant is taking over as Chief Justice of India after the retirement of Justice Gavai on November 24.
• The court, passing orders on the judicial side, transferred the case from Chennai to the Principal Bench of the NCLAT based in New Delhi.

• Manipur tribal body seeks removal of ‘AnyKuki Tribes’ category

Context: The Thadou Inpi Manipur (TIM), the apex body of Manipur’s Thadou community, has urged the BJP to undo what it described as the damage caused by the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2003 through the introduction of the “Any Kuki Tribes” (AKT) category in the State’s list of Scheduled Tribes.

• The TIM said the present NDA government must rectify the blunder made by the first BJP-led NDA government more than two decades ago, “to ensure fairness, national security, and the integrity of Manipur”.
• The organisation had earlier said foreigners, specifically those who cross over from Myanmar, have been using the “redundant” AKT category to be considered Scheduled Tribes in India.
• “A legislative action is needed in Parliament to delete the AKT category, introduced by the NDA government in 2003, from the Scheduled Tribe’s list of Manipur,” TIM’s joint general secretary Manggou Thadou said on Friday after members of the organisation submitted a memorandum to senior BJP leaders B.L. Santhosh and Sambit Patra in Imphal.
• The TIM team also sought the inclusion of Thadou representatives as legitimate stakeholders in any future dialogue, peace talks, or government-led negotiation platforms to ensure long-term peace and restore political stability in Manipur.
• It stated that Manipur deserved a democratically elected government after a prolonged period of President’s Rule, in effect since February 13.
• The TIM further asserted the distinct ethnic identity of the Thadou community. “Thadou is not Kuki, or underneath Kuki, or part of Kuki, but independent of Kuki,” it said.

• Gujarat’s Ambaji marble gets GI tag for its quality

Context: Marble from Ambaji, Gujarat’s prominent pilgrimage site and Shaktipeeth, has been awarded the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for its high-quality white stone, an official said.

• The Geographical Indications Registry under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry has granted the tag in the name of the Ambaji Marbles Quarry and Factory Association in Banaskantha district.
• A GI tag recognises products that possess unique qualities or characteristics linked to their geographical origin.
• Banaskantha District Collector Mihir Patel said that the Centre’s approval marks a proud moment for the region. “The Government of India has granted the prestigious GI tag to the pure white marble sourced from the sacred land of Ambaji. Along with its spiritual significance, Ambaji Shaktipeeth has now earned a distinguished place on the global map of the marble industry,” he said.

Used in religious sites

• Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel also welcomed the development on X, saying the recognition was a matter of “joy and pride for Gujarat”. He noted that Ambaji marble, known for its shine and beauty, has long been used in construction of religious sites.
• Ambaji-based marble industrialist Kiranbhai Trivedi said the recognition reflects the stone’s exceptional quality. He noted that Ambaji’s marble mines date back 1,200–1,500 years, around the time the Dilwara Jain Temple in Mount Abu was constructed.
• The enduring beauty of the temple, he said, is proof of the marble’s remarkable durability. “In comparison, even the stones of the Taj Mahal show ageing, but Ambaji marble has never lost its purity,” he remarked.
• Known for its strength and high calcium content, the marble has also been used in temple construction in the U.S., New Zealand and England, he said.

• India, Canada cement ties on trade, critical minerals, investment

Context: Both countries agreed to ‘identify and expand investment and trading opportunities in aerospace and dual-use capabilities partnerships’.

• India and Canada agreed to bolster long-term supply chain partnerships in critical minerals and expand investment and trade opportunities, the two countries said in a joint statement.
• The statement, issued, followed a visit to New Delhi by Maninder Sidhu, Canada’s Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade, and Economic Development, from November 11 to 14 at the invitation of Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal.
• According to the statement, the two Ministers “agreed to encourage long-term supply chain partnerships in critical minerals and clean energy collaboration essential for energy transition, and new-age industrial expansion”.
• Mr. Goyal and Mr. Sidhu also agreed to “identify and expand investment and trading opportunities in aerospace and dual-use capabilities partnerships”.
• The engagement between the two countries has gained momentum again following the direction provided by the Prime Ministers of India and Canada during their bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G7 meeting in Kananaskis, Canada.

Renewing momentum

• The foreign ministers of both countries had earlier issued a statement aimed at “renewing momentum towards a stronger partnership”, and which identified trade as the cornerstone of bilateral economic growth and resilience.

UPSC/KPSC Current Affairs: 14th November 2025

• Mekedatu: ‘T.N. challenge is premature’

Context: The Supreme Court termed Tamil Nadu’s application challenging the proposed construction of a reservoir by Karnataka at Mekedatu across the inter-state river Cauvery as “premature” and refused to entertain it.

• The Supreme Court (November 13, 2025) termed Tamil Nadu’s application challenging the proposed construction of a reservoir by Karnataka at Mekedatu across the inter-state river Cauvery as “premature” and refused to entertain it.
• A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai said, Detailed Project Report (DPR) on the reservoir, submitted by Karnataka, was only being considered by the experts in the Cauvery Water Management Authority (CWMA) and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC).
• The Central Water Commission (CWC) has already made it clear that any acceptance of the DPR would be given only after approvals from CWMA and CWRC.
• In case of approval of DPR, affected parties, including Tamil Nadu, would be free to take measures in accordance with the law.
• The apex court said, Karnataka, anyway, would be bound to release Cauvery water allotted to lower riparian Tamil Nadu and the Union Territory of Puducherry, which is downstream. The hearing before the three-judge Bench was based on an application moved by Tamil Nadu in the apex court seeking a direction to restrain the CWMA from deliberating the proposed reservoir project.
• The application has stated that the planning of the Mekedatu project with a capacity of 67.16 TMC ft. and generation of 400 MW project worth Rs. 9000 crore was in “gross violation” of the decision of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal of February 5, 2007, which was affirmed by the Supreme Court itself on February 16, 2018.
• “The entire objective of the Tribunal’s final decision is to ensure that the pattern of the release of water to the downstream State to meet irrigation interests is not jeopardised,” Tamil Nadu, represented by senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, argued.
• Senior advocate Shyam Divan, for Karnataka, would in no way impact the water allotted to Tamil Nadu. He said Tamil Nadu’s apprehensions were “completely misconceived”.
• But Tamil Nadu explained that the proposed reservoir would result in the impounding of the flows generated in the Cauvery river from the uncontrolled catchment of the Kabini sub-basin downstream of the Kabini reservoir, the catchment of Cauvery river downstream of KRS dam, uncontrolled flows from Shimsha, Arkavathy and Suvarnavathy sub-basins and various other small streams, which are the sources to ensure 177.25TMC at Billigundlu.
• It said CWMA cannot deliberate or pass any directions on the project when the Supreme Court was seized of the state’s applications to direct the Central Water Commission to reject and return the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project and restrain the Environment Ministry from entertaining any application for clearance relating to the Mekedatu ​project.

• IT policy 2025-30: State to pump in ₹967 crore towards incentives

Context: It seeks to bring investments with special focus on AI and other emerging technologies in cities beyond Bengaluru.

• Karnataka will be spending ₹967 crore towards varied incentives under the Karnataka Information Technology Policy 2025-2030 that seeks to bring significant investments with special focus on AI and other emerging technologies in cities beyond Bengaluru, and elevate Karnataka’s brand globally as ‘AI-native destination’.
• While 16 incentives, including nine newly added incentives, have been proposed to companies to be located in cities beyond Bengaluru, six major incentives have been proposed to units to be located in Bengaluru.

Many types of support

• Among the new incentives being introduced are support for faculty development, recruitment assistance, and talent relocation reimbursements.
• The new policy covers operational costs through electricity duty reimbursement, property tax reimbursement and telecom infrastructure development besides EPF reimbursement, rental assistance and skilling cost reimbursement for companies located beyond Bengaluru.
• The other incentives include internship cost reimbursement, intellectual property incentive, support faculty development programmes, reimbursement for quality certifications and power tariff concessions among others.

Outlay

• The financial outlay to implement the fiscal incentives and concessions for a period of five years is ₹754.62 crore, and ₹212.50 crore has been earmarked for government interventions such as fellowships and other programmes.
• The proposed policy expands the scope to provide extension of benefits to Indian-headquartered Global Capacity Centres operating or establishing a presence in Karnataka. It covers both new and expanding entities.

Increasing GSVA

• The goal is to increase the IT sector’s contribution to Gross State Value Added (GSVA) from 26% to 36% and increase software exports from ₹4.09 lakhs crore to ₹11.5 lakhs crore by 2030, besides driving investments in emerging cities such as Mysuru, Mangaluru, Hubballi-Dharwad, Belagavi, Tumakuru, Kalaburgi, and Shivamogga.
• To elevate the State’s IT and innovation ecosystem, the government through public-private partnership seeks to estabslihe ‘Technoverse’, integrated technology campuses within the upcoming Global Innovation Districts.
• It will offer future-ready tech eco system with advanced R&D labs, digital virtual testbeds, and sector-focused innovation zones among others.

Digital networks

• It seeks to make the State with future ready digital network – Global Testbed Infrastructure Network and Statewide Digital Hub Grid – launch fellowship for 1,000 mid-career women tech professionals, IT talent return programmes, set up ease of doing business cell, and start shared corporate transport – IT Corridor Bus Pooling.

• Karnataka space tech policy aims to garner5% of global market share

Context: In a bid to sustain Karnataka as the number one destination for space technology in India and hold 50% of the national market share, which is estimated to be around $22 billion market by 2033, the State government approved the Karnataka Space Technology policy 2025-2030 to make Karnataka a global space technology destination, aiming at 5% of the global market share.

500 start-ups

• The main objective of the policy is to support and help skill development of 50,000 young professionals, attract $3 billion through investment incentives and outreach and support 500 start-ups and MSMEs, with grants to enable design, manufacturing, assembly, integration, testing, launching, and operations of 50 satellites from Karnataka.
• Among the focus areas of the policy will be the government support to companies engaged in the development of next generation space capabilities, including space stations and space tourism infrastructure, in-orbit manufacturing, and servicing capabilities.
• The government is also looking to support space asset development, launch infrastructure, manufacturing infrastructure and software. It will also support enterprises involved in earth observation, satellite communications, positioning, navigation, and timing services.
• The policy aims to facilitate global and domestic space sector to invest to set up manufacturing and assembly, integration and testing units in Karnataka to cater to domestic and international market.
• While a special package will be designed based on the project proposal for incentives for investments above ₹100 crore, a list of exemption, subsidy, and incentives have been provided for investments that are less than ₹100 crores.
• Law and Parliamentary Affairs H.K. Patil announced the contours of the policy in the Cabinet briefing here on Thursday. It also aims to facilitate highly skilled workforce across the space value chain.
• He said that the policy looks at five broad strategies that include skill development, investments, infrastructure and facilities, innovation and facilitation, and adoption and awareness. A space technology cell, which will act as single touch point for industry, start-ups, and MSMEs will be set up under the Karnataka Innovation and Technology Society.

• India, Nepal ink pact to step up trade ties

Context: India and Nepal have amended the Treaty of Transit between the two countries to facilitate the movement of rail-based freight between Jogbani in India and Biratnagar in Nepal, including bulk cargo.

• Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal and Nepal’s Minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Anil Kumar Sinha met in New Delhi on Thursday to exchange the letters amending the protocol to the Treaty of Transit between India and Nepal.  
• “This liberalisation extends to key transit corridors — Kolkata-Jogbani, Kolkata-Nautanwa (Sunauli), and Visakhapatnam-Nautanwa (Sunauli), thereby strengthening multimodal trade connectivity between the two countries and Nepal’s trade with third countries,” the government said in a release.
• The two Ministers also welcomed the ongoing bilateral initiatives to boost cross-border connectivity and trade.

• SC bats for protection of pristinesal forest in Jharkhand’s Saranda

Context: The Supreme Court directed the Jharkhand government to declare 31,468.25 hectares (approximately 314 sq. km.) of the Saranda forest area as a wildlife sanctuary, balancing biodiversity protection with sustainable iron ore mining.

• “The State cannot run away from its duty to declare the extent of 31,468.25 hectares as Saranda Wildlife Sanctuary,” a Bench headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai observed in the judgment.

Part of the ecosystem

• Saranda is one of the world’s most pristine sal forests, the court noted. It is home to critically endangered species, including the endemic sal forest tortoise, four-horned antelope, Asian palm civet, and wild elephants.
• For centuries, the area has been inhabited by the Ho, Munda, Uraon and allied Adivasi communities whose subsistence and cultural traditions are intrinsically tied to forest produce.
• The Saranda forest division also accounts for 26% of India’s iron ore reserves. The steel plants of SAIL and Tata are critically dependent on mining in this area.
• Amicus curiae, senior advocate K. Parameshwar, had submitted to the court that a judicial declaration of the entire area as a wildlife sanctuary would halt mining and affect employment opportunities.
• The hearings had seen the Jharkhand government dither about the area that ought to be cordoned off from mining and declared a wildlife sanctuary.
• The State had initially suggested that only 24,941.64 hectares of forest area should be declared a sanctuary, arguing that “vital public infrastructure” in the area would have to be demolished to make space for the sanctuary.
• However, the Jharkhand government later clarified in court that 31,468.25 hectares of forest area, consisting of 126 compartments, neither hosted mining activities nor was used for any non-forest use.
• The court, in its judgment, reminded Jharkhand that a “State has a positive obligation and a mandate to provide statutory protection to forests and wildlife and declare ecologically significant areas to be statutorily protected”.
• The Bench ordered the Jharkhand government to widely publicise that neither the individual nor community rights of tribals and forest dwellers in the Saranda area will be adversely affected by the judgment.

• Centre releases draft Seeds Bill; farm outfits cautious, industry welcomes it

Context: After two failed attempts by both the UPA and NDA governments in 2004 and 2019 to pass a similar law, the Union government has brought yet another draft Seeds Bill here.

• The Union Agriculture Ministry said the new draft is aligned with current agricultural and regulatory requirements. The proposed legislation is intended to replace the existing Seeds Act, 1966 and the Seeds (Control) Order, 1983.
• While the seed industry welcomed the move, farmer organisations reminded the Centre that it had to withdraw the Bill on two occasions following their resistance.
• The Centre said in a release that the draft Seeds Bill, 2025 seeks to regulate the quality of seeds and planting materials available in the market, ensure farmers’ access to high-quality seeds at affordable rates, protect farmers from losses, and liberalise seed imports to promote access to global varieties.
• “On the enforcement side, the draft Bill proposes to decriminalise minor offences, thereby promoting ‘Ease of Doing Business’ and reducing compliance burden, while maintaining strong provisions to penalise serious violations effectively,” the government said.
• All stakeholders and members of the public can submit their comments and suggestions on the draft Bill and its provisions by December 11.
• As per the draft, every dealer in seeds shall obtain a registration certificate from the State government before selling, keeping for sale, offering to sell, import or export or otherwise supply any seed by himself or by another person on his behalf.
• The draft law also provides for regulation of sale of seeds so that seed varieties conform to the minimum limit of germination, genetic purity, physical purity, traits, seed health and other seed standards specified in the ‘Indian Minimum Seed Certification Standards’.
• Senior functionary of Bhartiya Kisan Union (Ekta Ugrahan) Pavel Kussa said: “…On the face of it, this Bill favours seed companies and facilitates ease of doing seeds business. We will study the draft Bill and make our position known to the government and the public.”
• Federation of Seed Industry of India chairman Ajai Rana said the release of the draft is a timely step toward modernising India’s seed regulatory framework.

• India’s carbon emission rise slower this year, says report

Context: In 2024, the country’s emissions grew by 4%, but a favourable monsoon, which cut demand for cooling, and a growth in renewable energy use, limited the rise to 1.4%, says Global Carbon Project.

• India’s 2025 carbon emissions have increased slowly compared to last year. While global carbon emissions are expected to rise to 38 billion tonnes, or by 1.1%, this year, the growth in India’s emissions is expected to increase by 1.4%, according to the Global Carbon Project, an authoritative tracker of fossil fuel emissions. This is lower than in recent years — in 2024, India’s emissions grew 4% than the previous year.
• The slower increase was partly due to a favourable monsoon that reduced cooling demand, as well as a “strong growth in renewable energy”, leading to lower coal use.

Global emission trends

• China’s emissions in 2025 are projected to increase by 0.4% — also a slower growth than in recent years. This was due to a “moderate growth in energy consumption combined with an extraordinary growth in renewable energy.”
• Emissions are projected to grow in the United States (+1.9%) and the European Union (0.4%) in 2025.

• Overall, India is the third largest emitter of carbon at 3.2 billion tonnes annually (2024), led by the U.S. (4.9 billion tonnes) and China (12 billion tonnes). India’s per capita emission is 2.2 tonnes of carbon dioxide per year, the second lowest among 20 of the largest economies globally. Coal is the major fuel type contributing to India’s emissions.

• The projected rise in global fossil CO2 emissions in 2025 is driven by all fuel types: coal +0.8%, oil +1%, natural gas +1.3%. Over the 2015-2024 period, emissions from permanent deforestation remained high around 4 billion tonnes of CO2 per year, while permanent removals through reafforestation and forest regrowth offsets about half of the permanent deforestation emissions.
• Total CO2 emissions — the sum of fossil and land-use change emissions — have grown more slowly in the past decade (0.3% per year), compared to the previous decade (1.9% per year). The remaining carbon budget to limit global warming to 1.5°C is “virtually exhausted”.
• The remaining budget for 1.5°C is 170 billion tonnes of CO2, equivalent to four years at the 2025 emissions levels.
• “With CO2 emissions still increasing, keeping global warming below 1.5°C is no longer plausible,” said Professor Pierre Friedlingstein, of Exeter’s Global Systems Institute, who led the study. “The remaining carbon budget for 1.5°C, 170 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide, will be gone before 2030 at current emission rate. We estimate that climate change is now reducing the combined land and ocean sinks – a clear signal from Planet Earth that we need to dramatically reduce emissions.”
• The latest numbers come even as world leaders are gathered in Belem, Brazil, to attempt progress in transitioning away from fossil fuel use while also negotiating how to pay for the costs of bolstering defence against the effects of human-caused climate change already underway.

• SC wants govt. to promote EVs amid high air pollution

Context: Amid worsening air pollution in the national capital, the Supreme Court on Thursday observed that it may be high time to revisit the National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) 2020 to promote electric vehicles and even launch a pilot project in metropolitan cities.

• Appearing before a Bench headed by Justice Surya Kant, advocate Prashant Bhushan, for NGO, Centre for Public Interest Litigation, urged that the government ought to give incentives to encourage consumers to shift to electric-powered vehicles.
• He pointed out that an electric vehicle was costlier than one run on fossil fuel. He said the government must lead the way by transitioning entirely to electric vehicles.
• Attorney-General R. Venkataramani, for the Centre, said a complete shift to electric vehicles was a major policy decision. Justice Kant said five years have gone by since NEMMP 2020.
• “Now, even the policy may have to be revisited. You could start a pilot project in metropolitan cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Madras (Chennai) or Bengaluru,” Justice Kant mooted, listing the case after four weeks.
• The petitioner-NGO had sought the timely implementation of the Electric Vehicle Policy and Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Hybrid & Electric Vehicles India scheme.
• In a related development, Supreme Court judge Justice P.S. Narasimha, heading another Bench on Thursday, asked lawyers to appear virtually in court. Justice Narasimha advised lawyers to take into consideration the worsening pollution in the national capital and not appear physically in court.

• Centre junks quality control order on polyester fibre, yarn

Context: The move is expected to benefit the Indian textile industry by makingit easier to obtain raw materials at internationally competitive prices.

• The Centre has revoked the Quality Control Order (QCO) on polyester fibre and yarn, and PTA and MEG, which was introduced two years ago, bringing relief to the textile industry.
• In an order dated November 12, 2025, the government said that based on powers conferred by Section 16 of Bureau of Indian Standards Act, it was revoking the orders of the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers bringing in QCO on ethylene glycol, terephthalic acid, polyester spun, grey and white yarns, polyester continuous filament yarn, polyester partially oriented yarn, and polyester industrial yarn.
• The government brought in QCOs on polyester yarn, filament, fibre, and raw materials PTA and MEG, thus restricting imports.
• India has shortage of PTA and MEG and yet the government introduced QCOs. These are critical raw materials for the manmade fibre sector. The QCOs led to prices increasing by almost ₹4 a kg, said R.K. Vij, Secretary General of the Polyester Textile Apparel Industry Association.
• According to chairman of the Southern India Mills Association Durai Palanisamy, one of the long-pending needs of the industry has been addressed by the government. The QCOs increased the cost of polyester fibre and filament yarn by 30%. The relaxation of the QCO will streamline the import of polyester and its raw materials, ensuring an uninterrupted supply to spinners, weavers, and processors. Competitive imports are expected to stabilise domestic prices, he said.

• ReNew Energy to invest ₹60,000 cr. in green energy in A.P.

Context: ReNew Energy Global Plc, a leading de-carbonisation solutions company, on Thursday announced that it would invest ₹60,000 crore ($6.7 billion) in Andhra Pradesh to set up multiple green energy projects in the State.

• With this, the company’s total investment in the State goes up to ₹82,000 crore ($9.3 billion).
• In May this year, the company had committed to invest ₹22,000 crore (U.S. $2.5 billion) in the State to set up one of India’s largest hybrid renewable energy projects.
• In four memoranda of understanding (MoUs) entered into with the Andhra Pradesh Economic Development Board (APEDB) in the presence of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and IT Minister N. Lokesh, the company announced its plan to invest in establishing a 6 GW PV ingot-wafer plant, a 2 GW pumped hydro project, a 300 KTPA green ammonia facility and 5 GW hybrid projects, including wind–solar and solar–BESS.
• Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Naidu said, “This collaboration will accelerate clean energy deployment, attract high-quality jobs, and contribute meaningfully to sustainable and inclusive growth for the people of the State.”
• Sumant Sinha, founder-chairman and CEO of ReNew, said, “ReNew has a long-standing presence in A.P. and, with this expansion, we are bringing a fully integrated clean energy value chain to the State — from wafer to large-scale renewable projects and storage deployment.”

• Exporters welcome govt.’s ₹45,000 cr. export plan, but say more details, allocation needed

Context: The Export Promotion Mission (EPM) and the credit guarantee scheme for exporters (CGSE) approved by the Union Cabinet has been welcomed by exporter bodies and trade experts, but there is room for more to be done, and higher allocations to be made, some of them said. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the EPM, which had been initially announced in Budget 2025.

• The total outlay of the Mission is ₹25,060 crore and will cover the period 2025-26 to 2030-31.
• The CGSE aims to provide 100% credit guarantee coverage totaling ₹20,000 crore to lenders on loans they extend to eligible exporters, including Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).
• Some trade experts, however, are not as sanguine about the Mission. “Despite its promise, the Mission faces several weaknesses,” Ajay Srivastava, former Director General of Foreign Trade and founder of Global Trade Research Initiative said. “Although announced in February, EPM is still only a broad framework. It now needs to be translated into detailed schemes with precise guidelines specifying eligibility, processes, and disbursal rules.” Mr. Srivastava said, this would mean it could take months before exporters see benefits.

• Centre suspends over 4,000 fertiliser distributor licences on hoarding charges

Context: The Union Department of Fertilisers has cancelled or suspended 4,298 licences and the registration of fertiliser distributers for black marketing, hoarding and diversion of stocks.

• The Ministry had earlier issued 8,777 show cause notices to the erring traders and 547 FIRs have so far been registered nationwide.
• In a release, the Department said it conducted a comprehensive drive with the Union Agriculture Ministry to secure the national fertiliser supply chain.
• “Working in close coordination with State Governments, effective enforcement action on an unprecedented scale including raids, inspections, and legal measures to curb black marketing, hoarding, and diversion of fertilisers has been taken by the district authorities. These proactive and strict steps taken by the State Governments ensured timely availability, reinforced market discipline, and upheld the integrity of fertiliser distribution across all regions of the country,” the government said.
• The Department said its officials conducted 3,17,054 inspections and raids.
• All enforcement actions were executed under the Essential Commodities Act and the Fertiliser Control Order,” the Centre added.

• Why Hepatitis A deserves a place in India’s universal immunisation programme

Context: As India debates the inclusion of the typhoid conjugate vaccine in its universal immunisation programme, it is time to ask whether Hepatitis A — a growing cause of acute liver failure — deserves even greater priority.

• A safe, effective, and long-lasting indigenous vaccine already exists; what is missing is the policy decision. India’s Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) has been one of the most successful public health initiatives in the developing world. It eradicated polio, curbed measles deaths, and saved millions of young lives. Yet as the country’s health landscape changes, so too must its immunisation priorities.
• A recent article in The Hindu made a strong case for introducing the typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) into the UIP. The argument is compelling: India bears half of the world’s typhoid burden, manufactures multiple WHO-prequalified TCVs, and yet has not included them in its national schedule.
• However, as we assess new vaccines for inclusion, scientific evidence and public-health impact must guide our choices. On these counts, Hepatitis A vaccination may deserve even higher priority.

On Hepatitis A

• Hepatitis A, by contrast, is a silent but mounting threat. For decades, the virus infected most Indians in early childhood, causing mild illness and conferring lifelong immunity. With improved sanitation and hygiene, that pattern has changed. Fewer children are exposed early, leaving many adolescents and adults unprotected — groups in whom the disease is far more severe.
• In recent years, multiple outbreaks in Kerala, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi have underscored this shift. Hospitals have reported clusters of acute liver failure and even deaths. Unlike typhoid, there is no specific treatment for severe Hepatitis A; recovery often depends on supportive care. Seroprevalence studies reveal a steady decline in protective antibodies — from over 90% two decades ago to less than 60% in many urban regions. The result is a growing pool of susceptible young people vulnerable to serious illness. Hepatitis A is no longer a benign childhood infection; it is an emerging public health concern.
• The good news is that Hepatitis A is entirely preventable. Both live-attenuated and inactivated vaccines offer protection rates exceeding 90 to 95%, with immunity lasting for at least 15 to 20 years — often lifelong. India has its own indigenous success story here. Biological E’s Biovac-A, a live-attenuated vaccine developed domestically, has been used in the private sector for more than two decades with excellent safety and efficacy records.
• Unlike typhoid vaccines, Hepatitis A vaccines do not face issues of waning immunity, antibiotic resistance, or carrier states. A single dose of the live vaccine can confer durable, long-term protection. From a public health perspective, it is a model vaccine: safe, effective, long-lasting, and already made in India.
• Both typhoid and Hepatitis A cause significant illness, but their epidemiology and control prospects differ sharply. Typhoid mortality has declined with prompt antibiotic treatment and better sanitation, though antimicrobial resistance remains a concern. Hepatitis A, on the other hand, strikes indiscriminately across socio-economic groups, lacks specific treatment, and increasingly affects older children and young adults, where the disease is more severe.

Measurable criteria

• When judged by measurable criteria — disease burden, vaccine efficacy, durability, cost-effectiveness, and programmatic simplicity — the balance tilts decisively toward Hepatitis A. It is the low-hanging fruit of vaccine-preventable diseases: a single-dose, long-lasting, with an indigenous product ready for universal use.
• India could begin by introducing Hepatitis A vaccination in States that have experienced repeated outbreaks or show declining antibody prevalence. The vaccine can be co-administered with existing boosters such as DPT or MR, using the same infrastructure. Periodic serosurveys can track population immunity and guide expansion. This phased approach aligns with the UIP’s proven model of gradual, evidence-based rollout.
• This is not an argument against typhoid vaccination; it is a plea for rational sequencing. Typhoid control is important, but Hepatitis A control is both easier and more cost-effective at this stage. The disease burden is substantial, the vaccine is home-grown, and the science is clear.
• India’s immunisation programme has repeatedly shown foresight — from the early inclusion of Hepatitis B to the introduction of rotavirus and pneumococcal vaccines. Adding Hepatitis A would be a natural next step in that continuum of progress.

• How is SEC ensuring fair elections?

Context: Following the Supreme Court’s directions, Maharashtra will hold local body elections in three phases, beginning on December 2. The first phase covers 246 municipal councils and 42 nagar panchayats, while the second will include 32 of 34 zilla parishads and 336 of 351 panchayat samitis.

• The municipal corporation elections will be held in the last phase. The court has directed that all elections be completed by January 31, 2026. The exercise comes amid Opposition criticism of errors and duplication in the voters’ lists.

Can the State Election Commission delete duplicate names?

• No. The State Election Commission (SEC) does not have the right to add or delete names from the voters’ lists. As per constitutional provisions, ‘superintendence, direction and control of the conduct of elections to urban and rural local bodies vest in the SEC.’ However, under the provisions of the five different Local Body Acts of the State, the SEC does not prepare a separate voters’ list for these elections. Instead, it uses the voter’s lists prepared by the Election Commission under the Representation of the People Act, 1950, by bifurcating them to represent the relevant wards of the local bodies concerned.
• For the upcoming local body elections, the Maharashtra SEC will use the electoral list as of July 1, 2025, which means the list containing inclusions and changes made by the Chief Electoral Officer up to that date. However, the cut-off date for first-time voters was not revised after January 1, 2025. As a result, young voters who turned 18 after January 2025 have expressed disappointment at being unable to vote in the forthcoming elections.

What does the SEC do?

• The SEC is responsible for the delimitation of all the Assembly constituencies in wards. This involves dividing the names of voters listed under each Assembly constituency into the respective wards.
• Under the revised voters’ list programme, beginning November 20, the SEC will invite objections and suggestions on the draft voters’ lists for the municipal corporation elections. The exercise will continue until December 12 and include the publication of the draft voters’ list on November 20, followed by the submission of objections and suggestions until November 27. The final ward-wise voters’ lists, after incorporating valid objections and suggestions, will be published on December 5.
• The list of polling centres will be published on December 8, and the final polling centre-wise voters’ list will be released on December 12.

Will the exercise address the issues raised by the Opposition?

• The Opposition has said that the revised programme does not address all the issues they had raised. For example, they raised issues about the electoral lists’ opaqueness, double voters, bulk voters on the same address, voters with zero address, and illegal names from outside the State registered in the list.
• The SEC officials said that during the revision exercise, four kinds of objections can be raised: when a voter’s name appears in the Assembly election list but is missing from the local body list; when a voter’s name is assigned to the wrong ward; when there are duplicate entries; and when multiple voters are registered at the same address.
• While the SEC cannot add or delete names, it will mark double and doubtful entries, officials said. A tool will be used to identify duplicate names on the Assembly voters’ list using four filters: first name, middle name, last name, and gender. When the Chief Electoral Officers receive the list of duplicate names, they will mark these entries with stars and undertake a field verification.
• Here, the voters will have to give an undertaking about the booth at which they will vote. These undertakings will be kept with the marked copies of the electoral rolls at each polling centre to ensure that no voter votes in more than one place.
• The Opposition, however, has questioned the feasibility of the exercise in such a short span. “Also, what if the list itself is defective? Clearly, nothing can be done about it, since it comes under the purview of the Central Election Commission. This does not address the many concerns we have raised,” an Opposition leader said.

UPSC/KPSC Current Affairs: 13th November 2025

• Infosys Prize: Kannada scholar among winners

Context: A scholar of Prakrit and Kannada poetics and a Bengaluru-based scientist are among six winners of the Infosys Prize 2025. A scholar of Prakrit and Kannada poetics and a Bengaluru-based scientist are among six winners of the Infosys Prize 2025.

• The Infosys Science Foundation (ISF) announced the winners of the Infosys Prize 2025 in six categories-Economics, Engineering and Computer Science, Humanities and Social Sciences, Life Sciences, Mathematical Sciences, and Physical Sciences.
• The prize honours the accomplishments of individuals whose research and scholarship significantly impact India.
• The prize for each category comprises a gold medal, a citation, and a prize purse of $100,000 (or its equivalent in rupees).

The winners of the Infosys Prize 2025 in the six categories are:

Economics

• Nikhil Agarwal: Paul A. Samuelson Professor of Economics at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he has won the prize for his pioneering contribution to market design, including the development and implementation of path-breaking methodology for empirical studies of allocation mechanisms, including school choice, medical residency, and kidney exchanges.

Humanities and Social Sciences

1. Andrew Ollett: Associate Professor in the Department of South Asian Languages and Civilizations at the University of Chicago, he is regarded the world’s foremost scholar of the Prakrit languages in this generation. His book, Language of the Snakes, is a magisterial analysis of the cultural roles of Prakrit in tandem with Sanskrit and the Indian vernaculars over the last 2,000 years. His linguistic mastery and knowledge ranges from detailed contributions to the study of Sanskrit, Prakrit, Kannada, Tamil, Old Javanese, and Chinese, in addition to his knowledge of the modern European languages, and his training in Greek and Latin.

Engineering and Computer Science

• Sushant Sachdeva: Associate Professor (CSC) of Mathematical and Computational Sciences at the University of Toronto, he has been awarded for his deep insights into mathematical optimisation and the resolution of longstanding open questions in algorithmic theory that has established new standards on achievable performance in computational problems affecting information flows across societal lifelines, including the internet, transportation, and communication networks.

Life Sciences

1. Anjana Badrinarayanan: Associate Professor at the National Centre for Biological Sciences, Bengaluru, the award is in recognition of her pioneering contributions to understanding mechanisms of genome maintenance and repair. Through innovative live-cell imaging combined with genetic and cell biological approaches, her work has revealed fundamental principles of how DNA damage is repaired, demonstrated mutagenesis in non-dividing cells, and identified novel pathways of mitochondrial DNA damage responses, illuminating principles central to life and evolution.

Mathematical Sciences

• Sabyasachi Mukherjee: Associate Professor at the School of Mathematics at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai, he has won the prize for his powerful and original work that links two distinct areas of mathematics- the dynamics of Kleinian group actions and the iteration of holomorphic and anti-holomorphic maps in complex dynamics. His results have reshaped our understanding of conformal dynamics, an area of study that has important implications across physics, fluid dynamics, and even data science.

Physical Sciences

• Karthish Manthiram: Professor of Chemical Engineering at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), he is awarded for his pioneering work on sustainable electrochemical routes to essential chemicals. His breakthroughs in lithium-mediated ammonia synthesis and oxygen-atom transfer catalysis have transformed our understanding of electrified chemical manufacturing, demonstrating how renewable electricity can drive selective, efficient synthesis of chemicals that are fundamental to agriculture and industry.

• State govt. notifies menstrual leave policy

Context: In what brings cheer and relief to the female workforce across Karnataka, the State government notified the menstrual leave policy, allowing one day leave a month, paving the way for its implementation.

• Women between 18 and 52 are eligible to seek menstrual leave, and it will be applicable for permanent, contract or outsourced workforce.
• The policy will be applicable to the workforce employed in establishments registered under the Factories Act, 1948; the Karnataka Shops and Establishments Act, 1961; the Plantation Workers Act 1951; the Beedi and Cigar Workers (Conditions of Employment) Act, 1966, and the Motor Transport Workers Act, 1961.
• The Government Order (GO) does not specify anything on leaves for government employees or anganwadi workers or Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs).
• An expert committee that deliberated on the policy earlier had recommended six days annually, which the government increased to 12 when it was approved in the Cabinet. In their feedback, four employers have suggested 12 leaves annually.
• The GO issued by the Labour Department said that the menstrual leave is being extended considering health aspects, and to increase efficiency, besides increasing female participation in the workforce. As per the conditions imposed in the GO, there will be no provision to carry over the leave to the next month and women are not mandated to provide any medical certificate.
• Feedback was received from individuals, organisations and trade unions, among others, of which 56 backed the policy. Twenty six of those who supported the policy were from the management, the GO said.
• Welcoming the GO, Divya Biradar, convener, Karnataka Domestic Workers’ Union, affiliated to AITUC, said: “However, the government should take immediate measures to formalise the policy. A legislation is stronger than a government order.”
• She also said that the policy has to be amended to include a vast section of the female workforce engaged in domestic, agricultural, and construction work, apart from scheme workers such as anganwadis and ASHAs.
• The fixing of the age limit has also been objected to. A senior executive in a reputed organisation said: “Women would not have menopause before 52 in all cases. The policy should accommodate the interest of those people too.”

• Retail inflation hits record low of 0.25%

Context: Retail inflation fell to a historic low of 0.25% in October, with the government attributing this fall to the first full month’s impact of GST rate cuts, a favourable base effect, and drop in inflation of several food items such as vegetables and fruits.

• According to the government, this is the lowest rate of inflation measured in the current series of the Consumer Price Index.
• That is, it is the lowest rate of inflation since January 2012. The data reveal that the fall in overall inflation is largely due to the statistical impact of the base effect on food inflation.
• Most of the other categories in the CPI saw inflation higher in October 2025 than in the same month last year.
• The data show that the food and beverages category saw prices contract 3.7% in October 2025, following up on a contraction of 1.4% in September.
• In fact, food and beverage prices have contracted in four out of the seven months of this financial year so far.
• “The decline in headline inflation and food inflation during the month of October 2025 is mainly attributed to the full month’s impact of decline in Goods and Service Tax [rates], favourable base effect and to drop in inflation of oils and fats, vegetables, fruits, egg, footwear, cereals and products, transport and communication, etc.,” the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation said in its release.
• According to economists, this decline is however due to a statistical base effect rather than an actual fall in prices. That is, because food inflation in the same month of last year was 9.7%, the change in prices this October looks relatively better.
• “Food inflation has come down mainly due to base effects,” Madan Sabnavis, chief economist at the Bank of Baroda, said.
• The data show that this base effect in food inflation was the driving factor behind the fall in overall inflation. For example, inflation in the fuel and light category stood at 2% in October 2025, compared to a contraction of 1.7% in October of the previous year.
• Inflation in the housing category, too, accelerated to 3% in October 2025 from 2.8% in October 2024.
• The clothing and footwear category was one of the few other than food that saw inflation easing in October, to 1.7% from 2.7% in October last year, likely on account of the GST rate cuts.

Inflation on tobacco products

• The pan, tobacco, and other intoxicants category saw inflation quicken to 2.9% in October 2025 from 2.5% in the same month last year.
• The miscellaneous category, which captures all other items not included in the major sub-groups, saw inflation accelerate to 5.7% in October 2025 versus 4.3% in October last year.

• All HCs should upload details of time taken by judges to deliver verdicts: SC

Context: The Supreme Court said all High Courts should put out in the public domain the time taken by their judges to pronounce verdicts in pending cases.

• A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing a plea by four life convicts from the Scheduled Tribes and Other Backward Classes.
• They had complained that the Jharkhand High Court had not pronounced its verdicts on their criminal appeals even after reserving the cases for judgment two to three years ago.
• There are no specific timelines within which judges have to deliver verdicts. The convention is that they ought to pronounce judgments within a reasonable time, from two to six months, of reserving cases. However, judges, including in the Supreme Court and the High Courts, have in practice reserved judgments for well over a year before delivering them. This may be due to the complexity of the question of law involved or the burden of work.
• Justice Kant, who is Chief Justice of India-designate, indicated that reforms and transparency in judicial functioning must not be limited to litigants alone, it should also meet the legitimate expectations of the public at large.
• “Let everybody know how many judgments have been reserved by any judge and how many are pronounced; within how many days the judgments are made available in the public domain; and how many days High Courts take to upload judgments,” he observed.
• Justice Bagchi said there ought to be a dashboard on High Court websites, exclusively focusing on the reservation and pronouncement of judgments. “That will show the transparency and accountability of the judiciary to the people,” Justice Bagchi remarked.
• The top court, in its order, directed the State High Courts to file reports on their existing mechanisms to bring into the public domain the dates when pending judgments were reserved, the time taken between the reservation of judgments and their pronouncement, and when a pronounced judgment is actually uploaded on their official websites.
• The Bench specifically sought from the High Courts details of judgments reserved after January 31, 2025, and details of pronouncement of judgments till October 31, 2025. This would include the uploading of the judgments on the websites.
• The High Courts have been asked for their views about framing a uniform mechanism to disclose the dates of reservation, pronouncement of judgments and their uploading on websites.
• The Bench said the High Courts could be frank about their apprehensions about laying bare such details in the public domain. The court underscored that the High Courts must be frank about the adverse consequences that may result from such disclosures.
• In an earlier hearing of the case in September, the top court had emphasised the urgent need to evaluate the performance of High Court judges. “Our intention is not to act as a school principal and monitor everything, but there should be broad guidelines. Judges should know the task before them,” the top court had observed then.

• Eastern Himalayan birds under threat: IISc Study

Context: A new study from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) has revealed that insectivorous birds found in the understorey of the Eastern Himalayas are under threat due to habitat degradation.

• Researchers at the Centre for Ecological Sciences (CES) studied how changes in forest microclimates after selective logging influence the survival of wild bird populations in the Eaglenest Wildlife Sanctuary, Arunachal Pradesh, over a period of 10 years between 2011 and 2021.

Birds tagged

• The team tagged birds with lightweight aluminium rings and revisited the same sites annually to track their survival and changes in body mass. The IISc said that the team paired this dataset with temperature-humidity loggers placed in both primary and logged forests, to estimate how understorey insectivorous birds which live below the canopy adapt to microclimatic changes.
• “Using these long-term data sets, we can better understand why some species survive after logging while others decline strongly,” said Akshay Bharadwaj, a former Master of Science student at CES and corresponding author of the study.
• Overall, the team found that logged forests are consistently hotter and drier during the day and colder at night in comparison to primary forests, exposing birds to stressful fluctuations due to loss of the forest canopy.

Climate change impact

• These conditions, the scientists say, could intensify with climate change, especially in the Eastern Himalayas where bird species are thermal specialists.
• Their findings reveal that these birds, which utilise very different primary and logged forest microclimatic niches, are most adversely affected in a logged forest and they experience a decline in body mass, and steep declines in long-term survival.
• “Species that can still find microclimates in logged forests similar to their original forest homes are surviving after selective logging. It is those which can’t match their old conditions that face steep declines,” said Mr. Bharadwaj. Based on their findings, the researchers suggest that conservation strategies should prioritise preserving primary forest across elevational gradients.
• The study highlights the significance of understanding why certain species of birds are declining after logging, and how microclimatic niches in disturbed habitats influence population dynamics.

• Union Cabinet clears new royalty rates of critical minerals

Context: Seeking to reduce import dependence and vulnerabilities in the supply chain of critical minerals, the Union Cabinet approved the rationalisation of royalty rates of graphite, caesium, rubidium, and zirconium.

• With the rationalisation structure, graphite, wherein royalty was previously sought on per tonne-basis (that is, a fixed amount for a specific weight of ore), will now be charged on an ad valorem basis.
• Graphite with less than 80% fixed carbon content will be subject to 4% royalty of the average sale price, whilst that with 80% or more carbon content would attract 2%.
• Caesium and rubidium would be subject to a royalty rate of 2% on the average sale price based on the specific metal contained in the ore produced. A royalty rate of 1% would apply to zirconium.

Promoting auction

• In a statement, the Cabinet said that the decision to rationalise would promote the auction of mineral blocks of caesium, rubidium, and zirconium.
• “Today’s approval of the Union Cabinet on the rate of royalty will help the bidders to rationally submit their financial bids in the auction,” the Cabinet statement emphasised. 

• Bombay HC criticises govt. over malnutrition deaths in Maharashtra’s tribal regions

Context: The Bombay High Court pulled up the Maharashtra and Union governments for an “extremely casual” approach over handling the malnutrition issue among infants in the State’s tribal regions.

• The Bench comprising Justices Revati Mohite Dere and Sandesh Patil was hearing a series of petitions filed over the infant deaths due to malnourishment in Amravati district’s Melghat region, a tribal-dominant area, where chronic malnutrition has existed for years. The court called the situation “horrific”, saying “the government should be concerned”.
• During the hearing, the petitioner drew attention to the fact that from June 2025 to date, 65 infants in the age group of 0-6 months had died due to malnutrition in Melghat. The court noted that despite several orders since 2001, the problem persists like a plague due to a lack of implementation of those directives.
• However, the State government claimed these deaths happened due to pneumonia and not malnutrition. To this, the court asked, “Whether the 2001 court order to construct a multispecialty hospital in the area was actually implemented?” No answer was received.

‘Extremely casual’

• Calling out the State government, the court said: “This shows your seriousness on the issue. The approach is extremely casual, and many things need answers from you.”
• On the documents presented by the State reflecting the efforts taken, the court stated: “Everything looks good on paper, but far from reality.”
• The court ordered Principal Secretaries of Public Health, Tribal Affairs, Women and Child Development, and Finance departments to submit affidavits on the measures taken in detail and appear in court on November 24.

• India, Botswana announce cheetah translocation pact

Context: India and Botswana formally announced the translocation of eight cheetahs from the African nation during the state visit of President Droupadi Murmu.

• Thanking her counterpart, President Duma Gideon Boko, and the people of Botswana, President Murmu assured Mr. Boko that India would take good care of the animals. Botswana will symbolically hand over the big cats to Ms. Murmu.
• The two heads of state will preside over an event where five of the eight captured cheetahs will be released into a quarantine facility at the Mokolodi nature reserve, marking the symbolic handing over of the hunting cats to India by Botswana as part of Project Cheetah.

• India ninth worst affected by extreme weather: study

Context: A new report, Climate Risk Index (CRI) 2026, published by Germanwatch, released at COP30 in Belém evening, finds that more than 832,000 people died, nearly 5.7 billion were affected, and economic losses exceeded $4.5 trillion (inflation-adjusted) from over 9,700 extreme weather events between 1995 and 2024.

• Germanwatch is a Bonn-based environmental and development organisation that advocates for global equity and sustainability in climate policy.
• India ranks ninth among the countries most affected during this period, facing recurring floods, cyclones, droughts, and increasingly severe heatwaves.
• “Countries such as Haiti, the Philippines, and India – all of which are among the ten most affected – face particular challenges.
• They are hit by floods, heatwaves, or storms so regularly that entire regions can hardly recover from the impacts until the next event strikes,” said Vera Künzel, senior advisor on climate change adaptation and human rights at Germanwatch.

• SC to examine if farmers are evading satellite surveillance

Context: Chief Justice of India asks if farmers get together and decide when to burn stubble; court issues notice to Punjab and Haryana governments to submit latest reports on stubble-burning incidents.

• The Supreme Court decided to examine if farmers were burning crop stubble when satellites were not overhead to avoid surveillance. Stubble burning is considered a major source of air pollution choking the national capital.
• A Bench headed by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai appeared incredulous when the amicus curiae, senior advocate Aparajita Singh, told the judges that agriculturists waited for the surveillance satellite to pass overhead before putting the lighted match to the stalks. “They are delaying the burning in tune with the movement of the satellite,” Ms. Singh submitted.
• “Are you saying all the farmers get together and decide when to burn,” Chief Justice Gavai reacted.
• Ms. Singh submitted photographs and data collected from material posted online by a NASA scientist, who claimed to have analysed European and Korean satellites to conclude that stubble-burning had neither gone down or stopped. The amicus curiae, answering the Chief Justice’s question, said satellites passed overhead at a specific time.
• She referred to media reports of farmers on camera saying the State administrations had shared the timing of the satellites with the farmers.
• Ms. Singh raised doubts, under these circumstances, about the veracity of data and information fed to the top court.
• “The scientist has uploaded photographs showing the maze above Punjab. If this is true, it is alarming. Their count [of the number of incidents of stubble-burning] is not true,” the amicus curiae submitted.
• The court issued notice to the States of Punjab and Haryana to submit their latest reports on stubble-burning incidents.
• In September, the top court had suggested a return to criminal prosecution of errant agriculturists, and even a separate law. The Centre had, however, maintained that it was a policy to take farmers along rather than put them behind bars.
• At the time, the debate between the court and the government had broken out after Ms. Singh had pointed out that farmers continued to burn despite “humongous” efforts and funds spent by the Centre to wean them away from an annual practice, which dispels a cloud of toxicity across States in northern India.
• Ms. Singh had said the situation on the ground returns to square one at the beginning of every winter season regardless of the extensive orders from the Supreme Court to curb stubble-burning.
• The amicus curiae and several lawyers, including senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan, urged the court to direct the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to upgrade anti-pollution restrictions in Delhi-NCR from the current GRAP III stage to the stricter GRAP IV measures, which involve a complete stop in construction and demolition activities. “Your Lordships have asked the CAQM to take steps in anticipation. The AQI has already breached 400. The CAQM must not wait for it to turn ‘severe plus’. It should anticipate and take action now,” Ms. Singh said.

• Jaishankar meets Rubio at CanadaG7 meeting

Context: External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio on the sidelines of the G7 Foreign Ministers’ meeting in Canada where terror strike near the Red Fort featured.

• “Discussed our bilateral ties, focusing on trade and supply chains. Exchanged views on the Ukraine conflict, the Middle East/West Asia situation and Indo-Pacific,” said Mr. Jaishankar on X after the talks, adding, “Appreciate his condolences on the loss of lives in the blast in Delhi.”
• Mr. Jaishankar also met Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand earlier in the day.
• The terror attack drew messages of condemnation and condolences from across the world, including from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, incoming U.S. Ambassador to India Sergio Gor and the Foreign Ministry of the United Arab Emirates.

• MEA launches new version of Passport Seva Programme

Context: The Ministry of External Affairs has rolled out the “upgraded version” of its Passport Seva Programme (PSP), the MEA said in a statement.

• The rollout included the Passport Seva Programme (PSP V2.0), the Global Passport Seva Programme and the e-passport for citizens in India and for the Indian citizens living abroad.
• The MEA described the introduction of e-passports alongside PSP V2.0 a “significant milestone for the Ministry”.
• “The new and improved passport website and mobile app give users a better experience through features like auto-filled forms, simpler document uploads, and easy online payments…,” the Ministry said.

• Tuberculosis incidence falling in India by 21% a year: WHO report

Context: India’s tuberculosis (TB) incidence, with new cases emerging every year, fell by 21% — from 237 TB cases per lakh population in 2015 to 187 per lakh population in 2024 — almost double the pace of decline observed globally, at 12%, according to the World Health Organization (WHO) Global TB Report, 2025, the Union Health Ministry said in a release issued.

• This was one of the highest declines in TB incidence globally, outpacing reductions noted among other high-burden countries.
• “India’s innovative case finding approach, driven by the swift uptake of newer technologies, decentralisation of services, and large-scale community mobilisation, has led to the country’s treatment coverage to surge to over 92% in 2024, from 53% in 2015 — with 26.18 lakh TB patients being diagnosed in 2024, out of an estimated incidence of 27 lakh cases,” the release said.
• The Ministry said this had helped reduce the number of “missing cases” — those who had TB but were not reported to the programme — from an estimated 15 lakh in 2015 to less than one lakh in 2024.
• Also, there is no significant increase in the number of multidrug-resistant (MDR) TB patients in the country, adding that treatment success rate under the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan increases to 90%, ahead of the global treatment success rate of 88%.
• India’s TB mortality rate has also decreased from 28 per lakh population in 2015 to 21 per lakh population in 2024, reflecting significant progress in reducing deaths due to TB.
• Since its launch in December 2024, India’s flagship TB elimination mission, the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, has achieved extensive reach, screening over 19 crore vulnerable individuals for TB across the country, leading to the detection of over 24.5 lakh TB patients, including 8.61 lakh asymptomatic TB cases, the report said.

• GI tag fee cut to ₹1,000; Minister promises backing for tribal goods

Context: Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal announced here that the application fee for the Geographical Indications (GI) tag had been reduced to ₹1,000 from ₹5,000.

• At the inaugural Tribal Business Conclave, he urged tribal artisans to register and protect traditional products and crafts. He further promised the support of his Ministry in creating export and e-commerce linkages for tribal enterprises and international warehouses for their products.
• The conclave, held by the Ministries of Tribal Affairs and Culture and the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) at the Yashobhoomi Convention Centre, featured panel discussions and masterclasses on topics such as financing innovations for, and investments in, tribal enterprises, partnerships, industry linkages, and skilling.
• Mr. Goyal said schools, universities, industries, and the government must work together to ensure that products made by tribal artisans reach the larger domestic and global markets.
• The Minister promised the full support of his Ministry and the DPIIT in this mission, by creating export and e-commerce linkages and facilitating international warehouses for tribal goods.
• The conclave was part of the Government of India’s Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh celebrations, to mark the 150th birth anniversary year of tribal icon Birsa Munda.

GI tags distributed

• The event also saw GI tag certificates being distributed for crafts and products such as Kannadippaya (bamboo mat) of Kerala, Apatani textile of Arunachal Pradesh, Marthandam honey of Tamil Nadu, Lepcha Tungbuk of Sikkim, Bodo Aronai of Assam, Ambaji white marble of Gujarat, and Bedu and Badri cow ghee of Uttarakhand.
• The Tribal Affairs Ministry announced a Tribal Affairs Grand Challenge, inviting enterprises to design solutions for tribal communities.

• Puri, Canadian minister discuss hydrocarbons trade

Context: Petroleum Minister Hardeep Singh Puri met Canada’s Minister for International Trade Maninder Sidhu to discuss bilateral hydrocarbon trade between the two nations. Mr. Puri wrote on social media that the bilateral hydrocarbons trade that scaled $226.45 million in the fiscal year 2024-25 also had a “substantial upside potential”.

• The meeting was part of Mr. Sidhu’s official visit to India wherein the North American country is seeking to “find opportunities to advance trade and investment linkages” between the two nations.
• Ottawa is seeking to diversify avenues for hydrocarbons exports, and is at the receiving end of the Trump tariff regime.

• Protesters clash with security at Brazil’s COP30

Context: Dozens of Indigenous protesters forced their way into the COP30 climate summit venue and clashed with security guards at the entrance to demand climate action and forest protection.

• Shouting angrily, protesters demanded access to the UN compound where thousands of delegates from countries around the world are attending this year’s UN climate summit in the Amazon city of Belem, Brazil.
• Some waved flags with slogans calling for land rights or carried signs saying, “Our land is not for sale.”
• Security guards pushed the protesters back and used tables to barricade the entrance. The protesters dispersed shortly after the clash.