Daily Current Affairs 2025  

31/12/2025

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CA-31/12/2025

• The report is the latest annual assessment of India’s dynamic groundwater resources, prepared jointly by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) and States/UTs using the IN-GRES GIS-based platform.​
• It provides estimates of annual groundwater recharge, extractable resources, extraction, stage of extraction, and category (safe/semi‑critical/critical/over‑exploited/saline) for 6,746 assessment units (blocks/mandals/talukas).​

• Total Annual Ground Water Recharge: 448.52 Billion Cubic Metres (BCM), marginally higher than about 446.9 BCM reported for 2024.​
• Annual Extractable Ground Water Resources: 407.75 BCM, slightly up from around 406.19 BCM in 2024.​
• Total Annual Ground Water Extraction: 247.22 BCM, giving a stage of groundwater extraction of 60.63% for the country.​

• Of the 6,746 assessment units: about 73.4% are assessed as safe, 10.5% semi‑critical, 3.05% critical, 11.1% over‑exploited, and 1.8% saline.​
• Over‑exploited units are concentrated mainly in:
  • North‑West: Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Western Uttar Pradesh
  • West: Rajasthan, parts of Gujarat
  • South: parts of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh.

• Regional Over-Exploitation: Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and parts of Tamil Nadu continue to face severe groundwater stress.
• Agricultural Dependence: Irrigation remains the largest consumer, making groundwater vulnerable to unsustainable farming practices.
• Climate Variability: Erratic rainfall patterns affect recharge rates, especially in semi-arid regions.
• Salinity Issues: Coastal and arid zones show rising saline groundwater pockets, impacting drinking water quality.

• Promote Water-Efficient Agriculture: Encourage crop diversification and micro-irrigation.
• Strengthen Recharge Structures: Rainwater harvesting and aquifer recharge projects must be scaled up.
• Policy Interventions: Groundwater regulation in over-exploited zones should be enforced more strictly.
• Community Participation: Local water user associations can help monitor and manage extraction sustainably.

• Introduced by RBI (2021, updated 2023–2025): Aimed at strengthening the NBFC sector while recognizing its growing role in credit delivery.
• Principle: "Proportional regulation"—the bigger and riskier the NBFC, the tighter the rules.
• Objective: Safeguard financial stability, protect depositors/investors, and prevent systemic risks.
• Categorizes Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) into layers based on their size, activity, and systemic importance.
• It ensures proportionate regulation—lighter rules for smaller NBFCs and stricter oversight for larger, systemically important ones.

• Capital Adequacy: Higher minimum capital ratios for upper-layer NBFCs.
• Corporate Governance: Stronger board independence, risk management, and disclosure requirements.
• Risk Management: Enhanced monitoring of interconnectedness with banks and financial markets.
• Activity Restrictions: Certain sensitive activities (like complex derivatives) may be restricted for lower layers.
• Periodic Review: RBI reviews NBFCs and can move them between layers depending on systemic importance.

• Systemic Stability: NBFCs now account for a large share of credit delivery in India, making them critical to financial stability.
• Risk Containment: Prevents contagion risks from large NBFCs (e.g., IL&FS crisis).
• Investor Protection: Ensures transparency and accountability.
• Flexibility: Smaller NBFCs are not burdened with heavy compliance, encouraging innovation and inclusion.

• Compliance Burden: Upper-layer NBFCs face costs similar to banks.
• Dynamic Classification: Frequent reclassification may create uncertainty.
• Market Impact: Stricter norms could limit aggressive expansion of NBFCs.
• Interconnectedness Risk: Despite regulation, NBFCs remain deeply linked with banks and capital markets.

• Unified Platform: RailOne consolidates multiple railway services (previously spread across different apps) into one streamlined app.
• Developed by: Indian Railways in collaboration with IRCTC and CRIS (Centre for Railway Information Systems).
• Availability: Free to download on Google Play and Apple App Store.
• Target Users: Daily commuters, short-distance travelers, and long-distance passengers.

• Ticket Booking:
  • Reserved tickets (like IRCTC).
  • Unreserved/general tickets (with digital payment discount).
• Journey Planning: Search trains, schedules, and availability.
• Single Sign-On (SSO): One login for all railway services.
• Additional Services: Train status, meal ordering, and more.
• 3% Discount: On unreserved tickets booked digitally via RailOne (UPI, cards, net banking, etc.) for duration of Jan 14 – Jul 14, 2026.

• Religion & Philosophy:
  • Founded Ekasarana Dharma, a monotheistic Vaishnavite faith emphasizing devotion (bhakti) to Lord Krishna.
  • Advocated equality, rejecting caste distinctions and promoting inclusivity.
• Arts & Culture:
  • Created Borgeets (devotional songs) still sung in Assam’s Namghars (community prayer halls).
  • Developed Sattriya dance, now recognized as one of India’s classical dance forms.
  • Wrote Ankia Naat (one-act plays) and introduced Bhaona (theatrical performances) blending music, dance, and drama.
• Social Reform:
  • Established Namghars and Sattras (monastic institutions) as centers of learning, spirituality, and community life.
  • Championed anti-caste movements and supported women’s participation in religious life.
  • A non-Brahmin himself, he challenged orthodoxy by initiating sarana lowa (initiation) for diverse groups, promoting equality, non-violence.
  • He rejected idol worship in favor of guru, nama (name), deva (God), and bhakta (devotee).
  • His movement influenced Assam's culture profoundly, fostering unity and moral education still evident in institutions like Srimanta Sankaradeva Sangha.

• Revered as Mahapurusha (Great Soul) in Assam.
• His teachings continue to inspire Vaishnavite traditions and Assamese cultural identity.
• The Batadrava Than, his birthplace, has been redeveloped as a major cultural and spiritual site.
• His philosophy emphasized devotion, equality, and humanism, making him a pioneer of the Bhakti movement in Northeast India.

• Range: Extended to 120 km, compared to earlier Pinaka rockets that had ranges of ~40–80 km.
• Guidance System: Unlike older unguided versions, the LRGR 120 uses an advanced guidance package for textbook precision.
• Developer: Designed by DRDO’s Armament Research and Development Establishment (ARDE) in Pune, with support from High Energy Materials Research Laboratory, Defence Research and Development Laboratory, and Research Centre Imarat.
• Testing: Maiden flight test conducted at Integrated Test Range (ITR), Chandipur, Odisha on 29–30 December 2025.
• Purpose: Provides the Indian Army with long-range artillery firepower, capable of striking adversary targets before close-quarter battles.
• System Integration: Works with the Pinaka Multi-Barrel Rocket Launcher (MBRL) system, already operational with the Army.

• Enhanced Firepower: Extends India’s artillery reach by ~40 km beyond current guided Pinaka rockets.
• Battlefield Impact: Allows deep strike capability against enemy positions, logistics hubs, and command centers.
• Precision Warfare: Reduces collateral damage compared to unguided rockets, aligning with modern warfare’s emphasis on accuracy.
• Strategic Edge: Former DRDO scientists have noted that a 120 km tactical weapon can be a “war-winner” in regional conflicts.

Variant	Range (km)	Guidance	Status
Pinaka Mk-I (Unguided)	~40	No	Operational
Pinaka Mk-II (Unguided)	~60–75	No	Operational
Pinaka Guided Rocket	~80	Yes	Tested/Operational
Pinaka LRGR 120	120	Yes	Successfully tested Dec 2025

• Cost & Production: Guided rockets are more expensive than unguided ones, requiring careful scaling for mass deployment.
• Countermeasures: Adversaries may develop electronic warfare tactics to disrupt guidance systems.
• Operational Integration: Training and logistics must adapt to longer-range precision artillery.

• Alignment with UPU Standards
  India Post is harmonizing its services with the Universal Postal Union (UPU) framework, ensuring consistency with global postal practices.
• Focus on Trackable Services
  Traditional untracked letter mail options are being phased down in favor of trackable formats (like Registered and EMS), which provide visibility and accountability.
• Enhanced Reliability
  Customers will benefit from better delivery predictability and reduced risks of lost or delayed mail.
• Customs Compliance
  With e-commerce growth, customs requirements are stricter. Rationalized services will ensure digital customs data integration, reducing clearance delays.
• Improved Customer Experience
  By streamlining options, India Post aims to make international mailing simpler, faster, and more transparent for individuals and businesses.

• E-commerce Boom: Rising cross-border shopping demands reliable, trackable logistics.
• Global Best Practices: Many postal administrations worldwide have already shifted toward trackable-only services.
• Efficiency: Rationalization reduces duplication of services and focuses resources on high-demand, modern formats.

• Individuals: Sending letters abroad will likely require choosing a registered or EMS option instead of ordinary untracked mail.
• Businesses: Exporters and e-commerce sellers gain better tracking and compliance support, which is crucial for customer trust.
• Postal Network: India Post strengthens its role in the global supply chain by aligning with international standards.

• New Authorisation Category:
  • Named International M2M SIM Service Authorisation under the Telecommunications Act, 2023.
  • Specifically regulates the sale of foreign SIM/eSIM cards for export-oriented IoT/M2M devices.
• Light-Touch Regulation:
  • No entry fee, equity, or net-worth requirements.
  • No bank guarantee required.
  • Only a ₹5,000 application processing fee.
  • Authorisation validity: 10 years.
• Eligibility:
  • Any company registered under the Indian Companies Act can apply.
  • Focus is on Indian entities manufacturing IoT/M2M devices for overseas markets.
• Policy Objectives:
  • Facilitate ease of doing business for exporters.
  • Ensure national security by regulating foreign SIM usage.
  • Boost Make in India and India’s role in the global IoT supply chain.

Aspect	Domestic M2M SIMs (Airtel, Jio, etc.)	Foreign SIMs (TRAI Framework)
Regulation	Full telecom licensing norms	Light-touch authorisation
Entry Fee / Net Worth	Required	Not required
Application Fee	Higher (varies)	₹5,000 only
Validity	Linked to telecom license	10 years
Target Use	Domestic IoT/M2M devices	Export-oriented IoT/M2M devices
Security Oversight	Standard telecom monitoring	Special authorisation under Telecom Act 2023

• Security Concerns: Foreign SIMs may pose risks if misused domestically; hence TRAI restricts them to export-only devices.
• Compliance Monitoring: Ensuring companies don’t divert these SIMs for domestic use will require strict oversight.
• Global Coordination: Since these SIMs connect to foreign networks, coordination with overseas regulators may be necessary.
• Industry Adaptation: Exporters must align with the new authorisation process, though it is designed to be simple.

• Strengthens India’s IoT export competitiveness by removing regulatory bottlenecks.
• Encourages innovation and manufacturing of connected devices in India.
• Balances ease of business with national security safeguards.

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