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.