NATIONAL UPDATES:
1. VoxelGrids Develops India’s First Indigenous MRI
Scanner: Zoho-backed start-up
VoxelGrids has developed India’s first indigenous MRI
scanner, marking a major milestone in the country’s medical technology
ecosystem.The 5-tesla MRI scanner has been deployed at the
Chandrapur Cancer Care Foundation near Nagpur, showcasing successful real-world
clinical adoption.The scanner is the result of a 12-year mission led by founder
Arjun Arunachalam to design and build a critical diagnostic system
domestically, reducing dependence on foreign imports.Unlike conventional global
MRI systems, the VoxelGrids scanner does not use liquid helium, making it
around 40% cheaper to build while incorporating original technological
advancements.
2. Union Minister Pralhad Joshi Releases New BIS Standard
IS 19412:2025 for Safe and Quality Incense Sticks: Union Minister Shri Pralhad
Joshi released IS 19412:2025 – Incense Sticks (Agarbatti) Standard
developed by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) on National Consumer Day
2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.The new BIS standard prohibits the use of
harmful insecticidal chemicals and synthetic fragrance substances in agarbattis
to protect human health, indoor air quality, and the environment.Products
complying with IS 19412:2025 will be eligible to carry the BIS Standard Mark,
helping consumers make safe and informed choices while promoting ethical and
sustainable manufacturing.The standard is expected to boost consumer
confidence, safeguard traditional livelihoods, and enhance global market access
for India’s agarbatti industry, which is valued at ₹8,000 crore with exports of
₹1,200 crore to over 150 countries.
3. NIFTEM-K Signs MoU with Ministry of Minority Affairs
to Implement PM VIKAS Scheme: NIFTEM–Kundli signed an MoU with the Ministry
of Minority Affairs in New Delhi to implement the PM VIKAS Scheme as a Project
Implementing Agency (PIA).The PM VIKAS Scheme aims to skill minority youth
through need-based training programmes and ensure employment and livelihood
opportunities.Under the project, NIFTEM-K will train 2,110 beneficiaries in
courses such as Multi Skill Technician (Food Processing), Millet Products
Processor, and Assistant Baking Technician across Jharkhand, Bihar, Punjab, and
Haryana.The initiative seeks to enhance employability, provide market and
credit linkages, and integrate minority communities into the economic
mainstream, with rollout expected in January 2026.
4. Union Government Releases XV Finance Commission Grants
to Strengthen PRIs and Rural Local Bodies in Rajasthan and Jharkhand: The Union Government released Fifteenth
Finance Commission (XV-FC) United Grants in FY 2025–26 to
strengthen Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Rural Local Bodies
(RLBs) in Rajasthan and Jharkhand.Rajasthan received ₹303.04 crore as the
first instalment for FY 2025–26 and an additional ₹145.24 crore of withheld
grants for FY 2024–25, benefiting District, Block, and Gram Panchayats across
the state.Jharkhand was released ₹275.13 crore as the first instalment of
Untied Grants for FY 2024–25, while the grants will be used for
location-specific needs under the Eleventh Schedule, excluding salaries and
establishment expenses.
5. Gujarat Returns to India’s Tiger Map After 30 Years: After over 30 years, Gujarat has
been formally recognised again as a tiger-bearing state following
confirmed photographic evidence from Ratanmahal Sanctuary in Dahod
district.A nearly four-year-old tiger has been residing in Ratanmahal Sanctuary
for about ten months, with continuous camera-trap and CCTV footage ruling out a
transient visit.The National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) has directed
conservation measures, and Gujarat will be included in the All-India Tiger
Estimation (AITE) 2026 with a dedicated camera-trap census along the
Gujarat–Madhya Pradesh border.Gujarat last appeared in the national tiger
census in 1989; unlike earlier brief or unverified sightings, the current case
marks a sustained and officially documented return of tigers to the state.
6. Govt Notifies SBFAS & SbDS Guidelines to
Strengthen India’s Shipbuilding Sector: The Ministry of Ports, Shipping &
Waterways (MoPSW) notified operational guidelines for the Shipbuilding
Financial Assistance Scheme (SBFAS) and the Shipbuilding Development
Scheme (SbDS) to strengthen India’s domestic shipbuilding capacity and
global competitiveness.With a total corpus of ₹24,736 crore, SBFAS
provides 15%–25% financial assistance per vessel, based on vessel category,
with graded and milestone-linked disbursement, independent valuation, and
security-backed governance mechanisms.The scheme envisages a National
Shipbuilding Mission and introduces a Shipbreaking Credit Note offering 40% of
scrap value to ship owners scrapping vessels at Indian yards, linking ship
recycling with new ship construction.The Shipbuilding Development Scheme
(₹19,989 crore) focuses on long-term capability building, offering 100% capital
support for greenfield shipbuilding clusters and 25% assistance for brownfield
expansion of existing shipyards.
7. Anu Garg Appointed Odisha’s
First Woman Chief Secretary: Anu Garg, a 1991-batch IAS officer, has been
appointed as Odisha’s Chief Secretary, becoming the first woman to
hold the top bureaucratic post in the state.Her elevation follows the
retirement of incumbent Chief Secretary Manoj Ahuja, who is set to superannuate
on December 31, 2025.Currently serving as Development
Commissioner-cum-Additional Chief Secretary (Planning & Convergence) with
additional charge of the Water Resources Department, Anu Garg is known for
effectively implementing key development initiatives during the Naveen
Patnaik-led government.
INTERNATIONAL UPDATES:
1. Over 24,600 Indians Deported From 81 Countries in
2025; Saudi Arabia Tops the List: Over 24,600 Indian nationals were deported from
81 countries in 2025, as per MEA data tabled in the Rajya Sabha on December 18,
with Saudi Arabia accounting for the highest number (over 11,000).
About 3,800 Indians—mostly private employees—were
deported from the United States, the highest figure in five years, largely due
to stricter checks on visa validity, work authorisation, documentation, and
overstays.Significant deportations were also reported from Myanmar, Malaysia,
UAE, Bahrain, Thailand, and Cambodia, reflecting diverse regional patterns
affecting Indian migrants.MEA data highlights visa overstays, illegal
employment, labour law violations, absconding from employers, and civil or
criminal cases as key causes, especially in Gulf nations.
Indian Missions assist deportees through nationality
verification, Emergency Certificates, helplines, and grievance portals, while
cases from Myanmar and Cambodia often involve cybercrime-linked job frauds
targeting Indian workers.
2. India
Becomes the World’s 4th-Largest Economy: Why the
Milestone Matters — and Why It Isn’t the Finish Line: India has overtaken Japan to
become the world’s fourth-largest economy in nominal GDP terms, with output
estimated at around $4.18 trillion. The achievement places India behind only
the United States, China and Germany, marking one of the most dramatic climbs in global economic rankings in
recent history. Yet this milestone, while significant, also underscores a
deeper paradox: India’s economic scale has surged, but average prosperity
remains modest for much of its population. In 2014, India was the world’s
10th-largest economy, with GDP hovering around $2 trillion — nearly seven
decades after Independence. The subsequent decade saw a sharp acceleration. By
2021, the economy crossed $3 trillion, and in just four more years, it added
another trillion dollars, pushing past Japan.International
institutions broadly corroborate this trajectory. The “International
Monetary Fund” projects India’s nominal
GDP to reach about $4.51 trillion in 2026, marginally ahead of Japan’s $4.46
trillion, suggesting that India’s fourth-place ranking is likely to be formally
confirmed when revised data is released.
3. Why
Are Tensions Rising Between Saudi Arabia and the UAE Amid the Yemen Conflict?: For years, Saudi Arabia and
the United Arab
Emirates were seen as the twin pillars of Gulf
security, fighting shoulder to shoulder in Yemen against
the Iran-backed Houthis. That perception fractured dramatically
at the end of December 2025, when Saudi airstrikes hit Yemen’s southern port city
of Mukalla — not against the Houthis, but against forces linked to the UAE. The
episode has exposed deep and long-simmering divergences between Riyadh and Abu
Dhabi over Yemen’s future and the balance of power in the Arabian Peninsula.
The crisis erupted on December 30, when Saudi forces carried out airstrikes on
Mukalla port, claiming they had targeted weapons shipments bound for the
Southern Transitional Council (STC), a powerful southern Yemeni separatist
group backed by the UAE. Saudi military spokesman Brigadier General Turki
al-Malki said the vessels — allegedly arriving from Fujairah in the UAE — had
disabled tracking systems and unloaded arms and military vehicles.The UAE
swiftly rejected these claims, insisting the shipment contained no weapons and
that Saudi Arabia had prior knowledge of its arrival. Within hours,
Abu Dhabi announced it would withdraw its remaining forces from Yemen, citing
concerns for the safety and effectiveness of its counterterrorism mission. What
had been a proxy-level rivalry suddenly spilled into open confrontation.
OTHER UPDATES:
DEFENCE
1. Indian Army Eases Social Media Rules, Allows ‘Passive Participation’
With Strict Safeguards: The Indian Army has
revised its long-standing restrictions to allow “passive
participation” on select social media platforms, while continuing to
enforce strict safeguards to protect operational and national security.The new
guidelines, issued by Army Headquarters through the DGMI, are effective
immediately, with Instagram formally included in the list of restricted-use
platforms.Platforms like WhatsApp, Telegram, Skype and Signal may be used only
for sharing unclassified, general information with known individuals, with
responsibility for verification placed on the user.Personnel are allowed only
to access information on platforms such as YouTube, X, Quora and Instagram;
uploading content, active participation, use of risky websites, VPNs, torrents
and unsafe cloud storage remains prohibited.
2. President Droupadi Murmu Makes Historic Dived Sortie
Aboard Submarine INS Vaghsheer: President of India Smt Droupadi
Murmu undertook a dived sortie onboard indigenous Kalvari-class
submarine INS Vaghsheer from Karwar Naval Harbour, Karnataka, becoming the
second Indian President after Dr APJ Abdul Kalam to do so.During the over
2-hour sortie, the President interacted with the submarine crew and witnessed
live operational demonstrations, accompanied by Chief of the Naval Staff
Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi.The embarkation reflects the Supreme Commander’s
continued engagement with the Armed Forces, following her operational
demonstration visit onboard INS Vikrant in November 2024.
SPORTS
1. PV Sindhu Elected Chair of BWF Athletes’ Commission
for 2026–2029 Term: Two-time Olympic
medallist PV Sindhu has been elected Chair of the BWF Athletes’
Commission for the 2026–2029 term, giving players a direct voice in global
badminton governance.As Chair, Sindhu will also serve as a member of the
Badminton World Federation (BWF) Council, strengthening athlete representation
at the highest decision-making level.Debora Jille (Netherlands) will serve as
Deputy Chair, while other members include Olympic champions An Se-young (South
Korea), Jia Yifan (China), African medallist Doha Hany (Egypt), and Indian
para-badminton player Abu Hubaida.India’s most successful badminton player,
Sindhu won Olympic silver at Rio 2016 and bronze at Tokyo 2020, and is set to
lead India at the 2026 Badminton Asia Team Championships in Qingdao, China.
2. Amieyra
Khoslla Wins Gold at National Climbing Championship: Fourteen-year-old
climbing sensation Amieyra Khoslla clinched the gold medal in the Youth Girls
(Under-17) category at the 29th National Sport Climbing Championship 2025,
underlining India’s growing strength in competitive climbing. The championship
was held in Bengaluru from December 26 to 29 and featured the country’s top
emerging talent across age groups and disciplines. Competing in the bouldering
discipline, Amieyra delivered a commanding performance in the finals, securing
first place with an overall score of 83.8 points. She displayed exceptional
strength, balance, and route-reading ability across all four problem routes.
Her calm composure under pressure set her apart from other competitors and
reflected her technical maturity at a young age.
SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
1. Kaamya
Karthikeyan Skis to South Pole: Eighteen-year-old Kaamya Karthikeyan has scripted history by becoming
the youngest Indian and the second-youngest woman in the world to ski to the
South Pole. Her feat marks another milestone in a remarkable mountaineering and
polar exploration journey that has already placed her among India’s most
accomplished young adventurers. Kaamya reached the South Pole on December 27,
2025, after skiing and trekking nearly 115 kilometres across Antarctica. She
endured extreme conditions, including temperatures dropping to minus 30 degrees
Celsius, gale-force winds, and whiteout conditions. Pulling a sled carrying her
full expedition load, she completed the journey entirely on foot, demonstrating
exceptional physical endurance and mental resilience. Kaamya is the daughter of
Commander S Karthikeyan, an officer in the Indian Navy, and Lavanya
Karthikeyan, an early childhood educator. An alumna of Navy Children School,
she has been exposed to discipline and outdoor pursuits from an early age. The
Indian Navy publicly congratulated her, highlighting the scale and toughness of
her South Pole achievement.
2. Chhattisgarh’s
Khanij Online 2.0: How Digital Governance Is Rewriting Mineral Administration: As India pushes toward
the ambitious goal of “Viksit Bharat”, the focus is shifting from policy intent
to the quality of implementation. In a resource-rich state like Chhattisgarh — central to the country’s coal, bauxite, iron ore and limestone supply — governance failures in
mining can have cascading economic, environmental and social consequences.
Against this backdrop, the state’s transition to “Khanij Online 2.0” marks a
significant leap in using technology to institutionalise transparency,
accountability and real-time oversight in mineral administration. Historically,
mineral administration across States has been vulnerable to information
asymmetry, opaque approvals and leakages between extraction, transport and
royalty collection. Manual processes not only increased compliance costs for
leaseholders but also constrained the government’s ability to monitor
production and despatch in real time.Chhattisgarh’s first response came in 2017 with the
launch of Khanij Online, which replaced fragmented, file-based systems with a
unified digital platform. This was not merely a technological upgrade, but a
governance intervention aimed at ensuring that mining policies translated into
predictable, rule-based outcomes on the ground.
BANKING AND FINANCE
1. Govt to Divest 3% Stake in Indian Overseas Bank Using
Green-Shoe Option: The government has
decided to use the green-shoe option to divest an additional 3% stake in
Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) through an Offer for Sale (OFS), following
strong investor response on the first day.The base OFS comprises 2% equity (38.51
crore shares) with an option to sell an extra 1% (19.25 crore shares) at a
floor price of ₹34 per share; the government currently holds 94.61% stake in
IOB.A small portion of shares is reserved for eligible employees, and the
divestment aligns with SEBI norms requiring listed companies to maintain a
minimum public shareholding of 25%.
AWARDS AND HONOURS
1. President Droupadi Murmu Honours 20 Children with
Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar on Veer Bal Diwas: President Droupadi Murmu conferred
the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar on the occasion of Veer Bal
Diwas in New Delhi.20 children from 18 States and Union Territories were
honoured for outstanding achievements in fields like bravery, art &
culture, environment, innovation, and science & technology.The President
said the awards would encourage the recipients and inspire children across the
country to strive for excellence.Veer Bal Diwas is observed annually to
commemorate the martyrdom of Sahibzada Baba Zorawar Singh ji and Baba Fateh
Singh ji, sons of Sri Guru Gobind Singh ji.Highlighting awardees’
achievements, Vishwanath Karthikey from Hyderabad was honoured
for becoming the youngest Indian to complete the Seven Summits Challenge,
holding four world records.Sunaina Kumari from Bihar received
the award for the exceptional bravery of her brother, who sacrificed his
life while saving a boy from drowning.
2. Vaibhav Suryavanshi Becomes First Indian Cricketer to Receive Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar: Vaibhav Suryavanshi became the first Indian cricketer to receive the Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar, the country’s highest civilian award for children.The Bihar-based teenager, just months away from turning 15, achieved a historic milestone, joining the league of young achievers like R Praggnanandhaa and R Vaishali.The Pradhan Mantri Rashtriya Bal Puraskar is awarded to children aged 5 to 18 years for exceptional achievements across various fields.
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