NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. PM-SHRI Scheme: The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) appears divided over the Kerala government’s move to sign a MoU with the Union government to access the Prime Minister’s Schools for Raising India (PM SHRI) government school modernisation funds.Launch: It is a centrally sponsored initiative, launched in 2022, by the Government of India aimed at establishing over 14,500 PM SHRI Schools by enhancing existing schools to showcase the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.Objective: The primary objective is to create an inclusive and nurturing environment that promotes the well-being and safety of every student, offering diverse learning experiences and access to quality infrastructure and resources.Funding: The funding pattern is 60:40 between Centre and State Governments and UTs with legislature (except J&K). The sharing pattern is 90:10 for North Eastern and Himalayan States and UT of J&K and 100% central funding for the Union Territories without legislature.Need of MoU: States must confirm their participation by signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Education Ministry.Duration: The duration of the scheme is from 2022-23 to 2026-27, after which it shall be the responsibility of the states/UTs to continue to maintain the benchmarks achieved by these schools.
2. Indian Wolf: A discreet, charismatic denizen of scrubland and grasslands, the Indian wolf (Canis lupus pallipes) is likely to be classified as a new species by the IUCN. Nature: The Indian wolf is one of the most ancient and genetically unique wolf lineages in the world, endemic to the Indian subcontinent.Scientific Name: Canis lupus pallipes, commonly referred to as the Peninsular wolf or Indian grey wolf.Uniqueness: Fossil and genetic studies show that it diverged from other wolfspecies thousands of years ago, making it one of the oldest wolf lineages in the world.Conservation status:It is classified as ‘Vulnerable’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).It is placed under ‘Schedule 1’ of the Wildlife Protection Act.Distribution: The Indian wolf was historically found across northern and western India, from Punjab and Haryana to Rajasthan and Maharashtra, thriving in open plains and semi-arid regions.
Drastic reduction in population: Due to habitat loss, persecution, and expanding agriculture, the species has now vanished from many areas, including parts of Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Its population has dwindled to just around 3,000 individuals in India and Pakistan.Best models for co-existence: The wolf, like the bustards and other denizens of the open natural ecosystems, do not need strict protected areas. Rather they serve as the best models for co-existence, and this is what needs to be incentivised.
3. Decarbonising Indian Railways: In July 2025, the Indian Railways successfully conducted a trial run of India’s first hydrogen-powered coach at the Integral Coach Factory (ICF), Chennai. It reflects the Indian Railways’ broader ambition of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2030. Electrification and DFCs: Nearly 45,000 km of broad-gauge track electrified in the past decade; 98% of the broad-gauge network now runs on electricity, aimed at reducing diesel reliance and cutting GHG emissions. Efforts are underway to increase the rail freight share to 45% by 2030 through Dedicated Freight Corridors (DFCs). Renewable Energy Integration: A total of 756 MW of renewable capacity commissioned - including 553 MW solar, 103 MW wind, and 100 MW hybrid. Over 2,000 railway stations now run on solar power; several have received the BEE “Shunya” net-zero certification.
4. Hydrogen for Heritage Initiative: Under this programme, 35 hydrogen-powered trains will be introduced, including the one successfully tested at ICF in July 2025. This initiative aligns with the National Green Hydrogen Mission, promoting hydrogen as a clean fuel alternative for non-electrified routes. Climate Finance Support: Since FY2023, India has issued ₹58,000 crore in sovereign green bonds, with ₹42,000 crore directed to transport electrification and rail expansion. The Indian Railway Finance Corporation (IRFC) plays a key role, including a USD 500 million green bond (2017) and a ₹7,500 crore loan to NTPC Green Energy for renewable capacity building. The World Bank has also extended a USD 245 million loan under the Rail Logistics Project to enhance freight efficiency.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Engagement Without Recognition: India's Taliban Policy: Afghanistan's Foreign Minister visited New Delhi, marking the highest-level Taliban visit since 2021, prompting India to upgrade its Kabul technical mission to a full embassy, without formally recognizing the Taliban government, maintaining its policy of “engagement without recognition.” Engagement Without Recognition: Recognising a government (de jure) and engaging with a regime (de facto) are separate political acts governed by international law. India does not accept the Taliban’s de jure legitimacy but maintains functional diplomatic channels through its embassy in Kabul. Purpose of Engagement: To coordinate humanitarian aid, development projects, and political dialogue while safeguarding India’s strategic and security interests.
2. International Law Basis: This approach aligns with Vienna Conventions on Diplomatic Relations (1961) and Consular Relations (1963), which allow embassies to function without formal recognition of the host government. Precedents: India has used similar models for Taiwan and the Myanmar junta, engaging without recognising their governments formally.
3. India- MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement: India and Brazil have announced a joint declaration to expand the India–MERCOSUR Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA), strengthening India’s trade ties with Latin America, especially within the Mercosur bloc of Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. India–Brazil Joint Declaration: Both nations agreed that the PTA will be significantly broadened to include both tariff and non-tariff issues, allowing more trade to benefit from preferential access. A technical dialogue will soon begin, led by the Joint Administration Committee established under Article 23 of the PTA. This will help define the scope and modalities of the expanded deal. The move aims to broaden tariff preferences and scale up bilateral trade between India and Brazil from the existing USD 12.2 billion to USD 20 billion by 2030. India - MERCOSUR PTA: India signed a Framework Agreement in 2003 to facilitate trade negotiations through reciprocal tariff preferences, followed by a PTA in 2004, which was implemented in 2009 in accordance with World Trade Organization (WTO). A PTA allows countries to give preferential tariff access on certain products, unlike FTAs, which are broader and cover more goods. India - MERCOSUR PTA is implemented through five annexes, covering tariff concessions for Indian and MERCOSUR products, rules of origin, safeguard measures, and a dispute settlement mechanism. These annexes provide the framework to operationalise and manage trade under the agreement. It currently covers around 450 tariff lines, providing limited duty concessions.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. BrahMos Missile: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that the BrahMos missiles were a symbol of India’s growing indigenous strength in defence manufacturing and every inch of Pakistan was within their reach.Nomenclature: It is named after the Brahmaputra River of India and the Moskva River of Russia.Range: An Indo-Russian joint venture, the standard BrahMos missile has a range of 290 km and but extended-range versions can reach up to 500 km. Future variants like the BrahMos-II are planned to have a much longer range of up to 1,500 km.Fastest cruise missile: It is the world’s fastest cruise missile with a top speed of Mach 2.8 (about three times the speed of sound). Two-stage missile; It is a two-stage (solid propellant engine in the first stage and liquid ramjet in the second) missile. The solid propellant booster engine propels it to supersonic speed before separating, and during the cruise phase, the liquid ramjet or second stage, propels the missile closer to 3 Mach.Launch platforms: It is a multiplatform missile which can be launched with great accuracy from land, air and sea having multi-capability capabilities and can operate during day and night despite bad weather. Uniqueness: It operates on the “fire and forget” principle i.e. it does not require guidance after launch. It also carries a conventional warhead weighing 200 to 300 kg.Propulsion and Flight: Jet engines are the primary mode of propulsion for cruise missiles. Most cruise missiles are subsonic and use Turbofan and Turbojet engines. While less common, supersonic and hypersonic cruise missiles utilize Ramjet and Scramjet engines.
2. The New Arc of India–Australia Collaboration: India’s Defence Minister’s 2025 visit to Australia marked a new milestone in bilateral defence ties, with operational and industrial agreements that transformed the partnership from strategic convergence to practical interoperability across the Indo-Pacific maritime domain. The inaugural India–Australia Defence Ministers’ Dialogue produced agreements such as the Joint Maritime Security Collaboration Roadmap and renewal of the Defence and Security Cooperation Declaration.Establishment of Joint Staff Talks, submarine-rescue cooperation, and air-to-air refuelling arrangementsstrengthened interoperability and tactical coordination.The partnership now enables contingency planning, joint exercises, and information-sharing across air and maritime domains.Elevated from Strategic Partnership (2009) to Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2020), the relationship is underpinned by shared democratic values and economic interdependence.Regularised dialogues and annual ministerial meetings ensure institutional continuity beyond political cycles.Strengthened defence cooperation aligns with Quad objectives and reinforces India’s leadership in the southern Indo-Pacific.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Chandrayaan-2: The lunar orbiter of India’s second moon mission, Chandrayaan-2, has made the first-ever observation of the effects of the sun’s coronal mass ejection (CME) on the moon.Nature: It is the second lunar exploration mission developed by ISRO after Chandrayaan-1. It is the 1st Indian expedition to attempt a soft landing on moon with indigenous technology.
Objectives:to study lunar topography, mineralogy, elemental abundance, the lunar exosphere, and signatures of hydroxyl and water ice;to study the water ice in the south polar region and thickness of the lunar regolith on the surface; andto map the lunar surface and help to prepare 3D maps of it.Launch vehicle: It was launched using India’s most powerful launcher GSLV MK-III from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Andhra Pradesh.Components:There are three components of the mission, a lunar orbiter, the Vikram lunar lander, and the Pragyan rover. The mission’s lander is named Vikram after Dr Vikram A Sarabhai, the Father of the Indian Space Programme.
The lander, rover and orbiter will perform mineralogical and elemental studies of the lunar surface. The orbiter is deployed at an altitude of 100 kilometers above the surface of the Moon.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP): Chief Minister of Delhi appealed to residents to celebrate Deepavali by bursting only certified green crackers as the Capital’s air quality index (AQI) crossed 300, prompting the enforcement of stage II of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP).Nature: GRAP is a set of emergency measures that kick in to prevent further deterioration of air quality once it reaches a certain threshold in the Delhi-NCR region.Judgement: It was approved by the Supreme Court in 2016 after the Supreme Court’s order in the matter of M. C. Mehta vs. Union of India (2016) and notified in 2017.Implementation: The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR and adjoining areas oversees the implementation of GRAP. It collaborates with the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).Evolution:Till 2020, the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution (Prevention & Control) Authority (EPCA) used to order States to implement GRAP measures.The EPCA was dissolved and replaced by the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in 2020.From 2021 onwards, the GRAP is being implemented by the CAQM.
2. Role of IITM and IMD: CAQM relies on air quality and meteorological forecasts by the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) and the India Meteorological Department (IMD).The Private Sector Problem in India’s Growth Story: Despite robust GDP growth and major policy incentives — from corporate tax cuts to infrastructure push — private sector investment in India remains sluggish, forcing the government to continue as the main driver of capital formation and growth. India’s Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF), representing all investments in fixed assets, has been declining since 2011–12, staying below 30% of GDP for most years after 2014.Within GFCF, the private corporate sector’s share has steadily fallen, especially post-2019, despite major corporate tax cuts.In FY24, while nominal GDP grew by 12%, private and household investment shares dropped, with only government spending rising — indicating an imbalanced investment recovery.The government aimed to trigger a self-sustaining growth cycle by boosting consumption demand (through income-tax reliefs, GST rate cuts, and direct transfers).
Large-scale public infrastructure investment — roads, ports, logistics, and railways — was meant to “crowd in” private investment.Structural reforms like the corporate tax cut (2019), PLI schemes, and ease of doing business initiatives sought to enhance private sector confidence and profitability.
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