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Cabinet Approves SHANTI Bill

Syllabus: GS3/ Energy

Context

• The Union Cabinet has approved the Atomic Energy Bill, 2025, titled SHANTI

SHANTI Bill

• Acronym – Sustainable Harnessing of Advancement of Nuclear Technology for India.
• Mandate – The Bill seeks to create a unified and modern legal framework for India’s nuclear sector.

About

• Traditionally, nuclear power plants in India have been owned and operated only by state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd (NPCIL) and its fully-owned subsidiary Bharatiya Nabhikiya Vidyut Nigam (BHAVINI).
• To allow private sector participation government has to amend key legislations;

1. Atomic Energy Act, 1962, a framework for nuclear energy development and regulation.
2. Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage Act, 2010, ensuring compensation mechanisms for nuclear incidents.

Key Provisions of the Bill

• Partial Opening of the Nuclear Value Chain: The Bill allows private and global companies to participate in atomic mineral exploration, manufacturing of nuclear equipment and components.
• Core and strategic areas such as reactor operation and weapons-related activities will continue to remain under government control.
• Nuclear Safety Authority: The legislation proposes the establishment of an independent nuclear safety authority.
• Dedicated Nuclear Tribunal: It calls for a dedicated tribunal to handle nuclear-related disputes, intended to streamline resolution and enhance transparency in the sector.

Cabinet Approves India-Oman Free Trade Pact

Syllabus: GS2/IR

Context

• The Union Cabinet has approved the proposed Free Trade Agreement between India and Oman.

Highlights of the FTA

• With the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA), India will get access to 98% of its products in Oman and significant access in services.

India-Oman Ties

• Diplomatic relations were formalised in 1955 and elevated to a Strategic Partnership in 2008.
• Trade Relations: Oman is India’s 30th largest trading partner in FY 2023-2024 with total trade of US$ 8.947 billion.
• India is among Oman’s top trading partners and Oman is the third largest export destination among the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries.
• India is the 4th largest market for Oman’s crude oil exports for the year 2023 after South Korea.
• Defence Cooperation: India and Oman conduct regular biennial bilateral exercises between all three services.

1. Army exercise: Al Najah
2. Air Force exercise: Eastern Bridge
3. Naval Exercise: Naseem Al Bahr

• Maritime Cooperation: Oman is at the gateway of Strait of Hormuz through which India imports one-fifth of its oil imports.
• India signed a pact with the country in 2018 to access the Duqm port of Oman.
• The Port of Duqm is situated on the southeastern seaboard of Oman, overlooking the Arabian Sea and the Indian Ocean. It is strategically located, in close proximity to the Chabahar port in Iran.
• Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

• It is a political and economic union of six Arabian Peninsula countries
• Members: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
• Establishment: Founded on May 25, 1981, through an agreement signed in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
• Objectives: To achieve unity and coordination among member states in all fields, including economic, security, cultural, and social cooperation.
• Headquarters: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

India out of Pax Silica Initiative

Syllabus: GS2/IR, GS3/Economy

Context

• India has been excluded from the US-led Pax Silica initiative, a new US critical mineral diversification plan.

Pax Silica Initiative

• Objective – It is a US-led strategic initiative to build a secure, prosperous, and innovation-driven silicon supply chain from critical minerals.
• Members – Japan, Republic of Korea, Singapore, the Netherlands, The United Kingdom, Israel, United Arab Emirates, and Australia.

Critical minerals

• Definition – Critical minerals are those minerals which are essential for economic development and national security
• The government has released a list of 30 critical minerals for India.
  • These minerals are Antimony, Beryllium, Bismuth, Cobalt, Copper, Gallium, Germanium, Graphite, Hafnium, Indium, Lithium, Molybdenum, Niobium, Nickel, PGE, Phosphorous, Potash, REE,Rhenium, Silicon, Strontium, Tantalum, Tellurium, Tin, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium,Zirconium, Selenium and Cadmium.
  • The Mines and Minerals Development and Regulation Act, 1957 (MMDR Act, 1957) has identified critical and strategic minerals for the country.

Preah Vihear Temple

Syllabus: GS1/ Art & Culture

In News

• India has expressed concern over reports of damage to conservation facilities at the Preah Vihear temple complex.

Preah Vihear Temple

• Location – It is an ancient Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva located in Cambodia, near the border with Thailand.
• It was built mainly during the reigns of Khmer kings Suryavarman I and Suryavarman II (9th–12th centuries CE).
• It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008.

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package

Syllabus: GS2/ Welfare Scheme

In News

• The Supreme court extends ₹50 Lakh Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package (PMGKY) insurance to all doctors who died on COVID.

Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package

• The PMGKP Insurance Scheme is a specific component under the larger Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Package, launched in March 2020.
• Coverage: Personal accident insurance cover of ₹50 lakh per eligible health worker.​
• Risks Covered: Death due to COVID-19 infection.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

Syllabus: GS1/Personalities

Context

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tributes to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Iron Man of India, on his 75th death anniversary (15 December 1950).

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

• Born on – October 31, 1875,
• India’s first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister.
• He is widely regarded as the architect of India’s national integration and a key force behind the establishment of modern civil services
• He was posthumously honoured with the Bharat Ratna, the highest civilian award in the country in 1991.

Contributions in India’s Freedom Struggle

• Kheda Satyagraha, 1917: As a prominent local leader in the Kheda district of Gujarat, Patel supported Mahatma Gandhi in organising the Satyagraha against unjust land revenue taxes imposed by the British.
• Non-Cooperation Movement, 1920-22: Patel significantly impacted the Non-Cooperation Movement, recruiting approximately 300,000 members and raising 1.5 million rupees.
• Bardoli Satyagraha, 1928: During the Bardoli Satyagraha, Patel supported the local population suffering from famine and increased land taxes.
• Civil Disobedience Movement 1930-34: He actively participated in the Salt Satyagraha, a nonviolent protest against the British salt monopoly.
• Quit India Movement, 1942: He organised protests and strikes against British rule, and delivered compelling and electrifying speeches throughout India, inspiring and mobilising people to join mass protests, engage in acts of civil disobedience, boycott tax payments, and stage civil service shutdowns.

Bison Horn Maria Dance

Syllabus: GS1/ Culture

Context

• The traditional Bison Horn Maria dance was performed during a village festival at Judiya Para in Bastar, Chhattisgarh.

Bison Horn Maria Dance

• Performed by: Dandami Madia (Maria /Gaur Maria) tribes of Bastar, Chhattisgarh.
• Both men and women perform the dance, during village festivals and major community occasions.
• Costumes: Male dancers wear horn-shaped headgear made of bamboo, decorated with bison horns, feathers, shells and bright cloth strips.
• Women wear brass chaplets and heavy necklaces.
• Instruments: Log drums slung around the neck provide rhythmic beats.
• Performance: Men mimic bison charging and hunting, while women dance alongside, often with sticks, in a synchronized, ritualistic way.
• Ritual chants invoke deities such as Budhadev and Danteshwari Mai, reinforcing spiritual continuity.

FDA Approves Two Oral Therapies to Treat Gonorrhea

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

Context

• The U.S. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved two new oral medicines to treat gonorrhea.

Gonorrhoea

• Pathogen – It is a preventable and curable sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhoeae.
• Concern – Antimicrobial resistance to gonorrhoea is a serious and growing problem
• Transmission – Gonorrhoea can be passed from a pregnant mother to her baby.
• Diagnosis: Molecular tests, Gram stain microscopy.

Ponduru Khadi

Syllabus: GS3/ Economy

In News

• Ponduru Khadi from Srikakulam district in Andhra Pradesh has received Geographical Indication (GI) tag recognition.

Ponduru Khadi

• It is a handwoven fabric primarily produced from short-staple, hill-variety, pest-resistant cotton grown locally.
• This cotton enables chemical-free farming practices, promoting sustainable agriculture and eco-friendly production methods traditional to the region.

Connect with the basics – Geographical Indication or GI Tag

• It is a name or a sign given to certain products related to a specific geographical location or origins like a region, town, or country.
• A certification for unique products – GI Tag may be regarded as a certification for a particular product with certain specific qualities or has a specific reputation because of its geographical origin.
• GI Tags can be issued for wine and spirit drinks, foodstuffs, agricultural products, handicrafts, and industrial products.
• Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) – At the International level, GI is governed by the World Trade Organisation’s (WTO’s) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
• Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act – In India, Geographical Indications registration is administered by the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999, which came into force in September 2003.
• Darjeeling tea  – The first product in India to be accorded with the GI tag was Darjeeling tea in 2004-05.

MahaCrimeOS AI

Syllabus: GS2/Governance; GS3/AI

Context

• Microsoft Chairman Satya Nadella announced the statewide rollout of its AI-powered investigation platform for the Maharashtra Police “MahaCrimeOS AI”.

MahaCrimeOS

• Jointly developed by – Microsoft & Maharashtra Government and its specialised AI policing initiative, MARVEL (Maharashtra Research and Vigilance for Enhanced Law Enforcement).

Key Features and Functionality

• Instant Case Creation: The system enables instant digital case file creation, reducing manual effort.
• Multimodal Data Extraction: It can ingest complaints in various formats, such as PDFs, audio files, handwritten notes, or images, and extract relevant data for analysis.
• AI-Powered Investigation: Using AI-based Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), it helps investigators link related cases and analyze digital evidence rapidly.
• Legal Assistance: It provides contextual legal assistance and guidance based on India’s criminal laws, aiding officers in legal compliance and procedure.

Lunarcrete

Syllabus: GS3/Science & Technology

Context

• Researchers are developing Lunarcrete, concrete produced using lunar materials for sustainable long-term habitats on the Moon.

Lunarcrete

• Lunarcrete is an umbrella term for ‘concrete made on the moon’.
• It is a proposed construction material made using lunar regolith (Moon soil) instead of Earth-based sand and gravel.
• Purpose: It supports in-situ resource utilisation (ISRU) by enabling construction of habitats, landing pads, and roads on the Moon without transporting materials from Earth.

Operation Hinterland Brew

Syllabus: GS2/ Health

In News

• The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) successfully dismantled a clandestine Mephedrone manufacturing facility in Wardha, Maharashtra, during a strategic operation codenamed “Operation Hinterland Brew.”

Mephedrone

• Known as – 4-methylmethcathinone (4-MMC) or 4-methylephedrone.
• It is classified as a New Psychoactive Substance (NPS)
• Mephedrone is prohibited under the NDPS Act, 1985.

National Drug Control Framework

• Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan (August 15, 2020)
• National Action Plan for Drug Demand Reduction (NAPDDR).

Yellow Line Defining New Gaza Border

Syllabus: GS2/ International Relations

Context

• The Israeli military has described the “Yellow Line”, a temporary withdrawal line agreed during Phase-1 of the 2025 U.S.-brokered ceasefire, as a “new border”.

Yellow Line

• The Yellow Line is a temporary military demarcation line inside the Gaza Strip.
• Territory east of the line remains under direct Israeli operational control.
• Territory Controlled by Israel:  More than half of Gaza (53–58%) remains under Israeli control. It includes most agricultural land and Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

Trump Threatens Tariffs on Indian Rice

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

Context

• The US President warned of new tariffs on agricultural imports, especially on rice imports from India as trade talks continue without major progress.

India’s Rice Exports

• China is the largest producer of rice in the world, followed by India, Bangladesh and Indonesia.
• India is the world’s largest exporter of rice, accounting for 33 percent of the world’s total rice exports during 2023.
• India exports rice to 179 other countries.

Facts and Conditions

• Staple Food: Rice is the primary staple food for a majority of the Indian population.
• Production Leader: India is the world’s second-largest producer of rice after China and the largest exporter globally.
• Climatic Conditions: It is a Kharif (monsoon) crop requiring a hot and humid climate.
• Temperature: Requires high temperatures, generally above 25°C.
• Rainfall: Needs high annual rainfall, typically above 100 cm (ideally 150-300 cm). It is grown with the help of irrigation in areas with less rainfall, such as Punjab and Haryana.
• Soil: Thrives in fertile, clayey, or loamy soils that can retain water, common in river valleys, flood plains, deltas, and coastal plains.
• Major Producing States: West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab are leading producer states, with Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Haryana known for high yields.

Blue Corner Notice

Syllabus: GS2/IR/Governance

In News

• Interpol has issued a Blue Corner Notice to track owners of nightclubs in Goa, after a fire at the club killed 25 people.
• The Goa Police had requested the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to seek the notice from Interpol.

INTERPOL Notices

• Red Notice: To seek the location and arrest of persons wanted for prosecution or to serve a sentence.
• Yellow Notice: To help locate missing persons, often minors, or to help identify persons who are unable to identify themselves.
• Blue Notice: To collect additional information about a person’s identity, location or activities in relation to a criminal investigation.
• Black Notice: To seek information on unidentified bodies.
• Green Notice: To provide warning about a person’s criminal activities, where the person is considered to be a possible threat to public safety.
• Orange Notice: To warn of an event, a person, an object or a process representing a serious and imminent threat to public safety.
• Purple Notice: To seek or provide information on modus operandi, objects, devices and concealment methods used by criminals.
• INTERPOL–United Nations Security Council Special Notice: Issued for entities and individuals who are the targets of UN Security Council Sanctions Committees.

Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA)

Syllabus: GS3/ Science & Technology

In News

• The Union Minister of Communications, chaired the meeting of the apex council under the Bharat 6G Mission and reviewed the progress of the Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA).

Bharat 6G Alliance (B6GA)

• It functions as the implementation arm of the Bharat 6G Vision, which India unveiled in March 2023 to position the nation as a global leader in 6G technology by 2030.​

About 6G Technology

• 6G represents the next frontier of wireless communication technology, succeeding 5G as the sixth generation of mobile networks.
• 6G will deliver peak data rates of 1 terabit per second (1 Tbps), approximately 100 times faster than 5G, which offers 10 Gbps.
• 6G will achieve ultra-low latency of 0.1 milliseconds (compared to 5G’s 1 millisecond).
  

African Penguins

Syllabus: GS3/Environment; Species In News

Context

• A new study finds that excessive sardine fishing off southern Africa led to the deaths of over 60,000 African penguins between 2004 and 2011, especially around Dassen and Robben Islands.

African Penguins

• Scientific name: Spheniscus demersus
• Among the smallest penguin species, fast swimmers, living along the coasts of South Africa and Namibia.
• Unlike Antarctic penguins, they live on sandy beaches and rocky shores, not ice.
• Appearance – Have a bare pink patch above the eyes to regulate body temperature. Each penguin has a unique chest-spot pattern, like human fingerprints.
• Reclassified from “Endangered” to “Critically Endangered” (IUCN, 2024).

Do You Know?

• There are 18 penguin species globally — with King, emperor and rockhopper among the most familiar.

150 Years of Vande Mataram

Syllabus: GS1/ Modern History

Context

• India is celebrating the 150th anniversary of its national song, Vande Mataram.

Historical Background

• It was composed by Bankim Chandra Chatterjee in Sanskrit and first appeared in the novel Anandamath in 1882.
• First sung by Rabindranath Tagore at the 1896 Indian National Congress session gave it national exposure.
• The song celebrates the motherland as an embodiment of strength, prosperity, and divinity and provided a poetic voice to India’s awakening national consciousness.

Rise of National Consciousness

• During the Swadeshi Movement of 1905, Vande Mataram emerged as the anthem of civil resistance.
• Vande Mataram, as a political slogan, was first used on 7 August 1905.
• For many young revolutionaries facing execution, Vande Mataram became the last chant before martyrdom, turning the song into a symbol of sacrifice.
• In 1907, Madam Bhikaji Cama raised the tricolour flag for the first-time outside India in Stuttgart, Berlin. The words Vande Mataram were written on the flag.
• In October 1905, a Bande Mataram Sampradaya was founded in North Calcutta to promote the idea of the Motherland as a mission and a religious passion.
• In 1906, an English daily titled Bande Mataram was launched under the editorship of Bipin Chandra Pal, with Aurobindo later joining as joint editor.

National Song

• After independence, the Constituent Assembly deliberated on the status of Vande Mataram.
• On 24 January 1950, the first two stanzas were adopted as India’s National Song.

Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay

• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay was one of the architects of modern Indian literature.
• As a distinguished novelist, poet, and essayist, his contributions significantly influenced the development of modern Bengali prose and the articulation of an emerging Indian nationalism.
• Other works: Durgeshanandini (1865), Kapalkundala (1866), and Devi Chaudhurani (1884).

Thailand-Cambodia Conflict

Syllabus: GS2/IR

In News

• Recently, Thailand launched airstrikes on Cambodian military targets.

Background

• The conflict centers on a long-standing territorial dispute dating back to colonial-era border demarcations made by France in 1907.
• At the heart of the dispute is the Preah Vihear temple, a culturally significant 11th–12th century Khmer shrine claimed by both countries.
• Though the International Court of Justice affirmed Cambodian sovereignty in 1962 and again in 2013, Thailand has rejected the rulings, and the area remains heavily militarized.

UPI Recognized as World’s Largest Real-Time Payment System by IMF

Syllabus: GS3/Economy

In News

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) report on ‘Growing Retail Digital Payments (The Value of Interoperability)’ dated June 2025 had recognized Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as the world’s largest retail fast-payment system (FPS) by transaction volume.

Unified Payments Interface (UPI)

• Launched by – UPI was designed and launched by the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) in 2016.
• Objective – It is a system that powers multiple bank accounts into a single mobile application (of any participating bank), merging several banking features, seamless fund routing & merchant payments into one hood.
• Countries with operational or planned interoperability include: Singapore (PayNow), UAE, France, Nepal, Bhutan, Mauritius, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and others.

Additional Information – National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI)

• Established in – It serves as an umbrella body for the operation of retail payments in India.
• Established by – Reserve Bank of India along with the Indian Bank’s Association.
• Established under – It was set up under the provisions of the Payment and Settlement Systems Act, 2007.

Products of NPCI

1. RuPay
2. National Common Mobility Card
3. Bharat Interface for Money (BHIM)
4. Unified Payments Interface (UPI)
5. Bharat Bill Payment System

International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

Syllabus: GS3/ Environment

In News

• The Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change addressed a high-level meeting of the Collaborative Initiative for Big Cat Conservation under the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) in New Delhi.

International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA)

• Headquarters – India,
• Objective – It is a multi-country, multi-agency coalition of 95 big cat range countries with an interest in big cat conservation.
• Genesis: IBCA was launched by the Prime Minister of India in 2023 during the event ‘Commemorating 50 years of Project Tiger’.
• Aim: Conserving seven big cats – Tiger, Lion, Leopard, Snow Leopard, Cheetah, Jaguar, and Puma.
• Members: Nicaragua, Eswatini, India, Somalia and Liberia have signed the Framework Agreement to formally become members of the IBCA.

C. Rajagopalachari

Syllabus: GS1/History

In News

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute to C. Rajagopalachari popularly known as Rajaji on his birth anniversary (10th December).

1. Rajagopalachari

Early Life and Education:

• He was a close associate of Mahatma Gandhi.
• Completed Bachelor of Law (1899) and began practicing law in Salem.
• Early political consciousness was shaped by Curzon’s Partition of Bengal (1905) and Tilak’s call for Swaraj.

Contributions to Freedom’s Struggle:

• He left his legal career in 1919 and went on to play a leading role in several major movements, including the protests against the Rowlatt Act, the Non-Cooperation Movement, the Vaikom Satyagraha, and the Civil Disobedience Movement.
• Led the Vedaranyam Salt Satyagraha (1930) in the Madras region, parallel to Gandhi’s Dandi March.
• After Quit India Movement, published “The Way Out”, proposing the C. R. Formula to resolve the constitutional deadlock with the Muslim League over Pakistan.

Post-Independence Contributions:

• Appointed Governor of West Bengal and later became the first Indian Governor-General of India (1947–1950) after independence.
• Worked to protect India’s secular fabric and integrate Muslims into the national mainstream.
• Served as Union Home Minister after Sardar Patel’s death; contributed to national integration & early planning processes, including the First Five-Year Plan.
• Legacy: He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1954 for his contributions to politics, literature and public service.

‘Your Money, Your Right’ Movement

Syllabus: GS2/Governance/GS3/Economy

In News

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged citizens to participate in the ‘Your Money, Your Right’ movement.

‘Your Money, Your Right’ movement

• It is an initiative, launched in October 2025
• It was designed to ensure citizens can reclaim their rightful assets.
• It aimed at helping people recover unclaimed deposits, insurance proceeds, dividends and other financial assets.
• Significance – It offers individuals a chance to convert forgotten financial assets into usable funds.

Various Steps

• Dedicated online portals have been created to enable easy tracking and claiming of funds:
• RBI UDGAM Portal for unclaimed bank deposits
• IRDAI Bima Bharosa Portal for unclaimed insurance proceeds
• SEBI MITRA Portal for unclaimed mutual fund amounts; and
• IEPFA Portal for unpaid dividends and unclaimed shares.
• Facilitation camps have been held in 477 districts across the country, with a focus on rural and remote areas.