Daily Current Affairs – 02-12-2025
Important Days
International Day for the Abolition of Slavery – December 2
The International Day for the Abolition of Slavery is observed every year on 2 December to commemorate the adoption of the United Nations Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others by the UN General Assembly in 1949. The day focuses on eradicating modern forms of slavery, including human trafficking, forced labour, child labour, sexual exploitation, forced marriage, and the recruitment of children in armed conflicts. It serves as a global reminder that despite the formal abolition of slavery, millions of people around the world still live under exploitative conditions. The observance calls on governments, international organisations, and individuals to take stronger measures to prevent exploitation, protect victims, and enforce laws ensuring human dignity and freedom
National News
Centre Introduces Bills for Pan Masala Cess and Higher Tobacco Duties; Manipur GST Bill Passed in Lok Sabha
The Union Government introduced two new legislations in Parliament on December 2, 2025, aimed at revising duties and cess on select products. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled The Health Security and National Security Cess Bill, 2025, and The Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025. The proposed Bills seek to impose higher excise duties on tobacco products and introduce a cess on pan masala manufacturing, replacing revenue earlier generated through the GST Compensation Cess, which is set to be discontinued. The Health and National Security Cess will fund health and national security initiatives. The GST Compensation Cess, first launched in 2017 during the introduction of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), was meant to compensate States for revenue losses for five years. Meanwhile, amid Opposition protests, the Lok Sabha passed the Manipur Goods and Services Tax (GST) Bill, replacing an earlier Ordinance implementing GST reforms in the State.
Indian Armed Forces to Acquire Additional Heron Mk II UAVs
The Indian Armed Forces have decided to procure additional Heron Mk II Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) under emergency procurement to strengthen unmanned surveillance capabilities following Operation Sindoor. The Indian Army and Indian Air Force, which already operate these drones, have placed new orders, while the Indian Navy is acquiring the Heron Mk II for the first time, transitioning from the older Searcher UAVs. Under emergency procurement guidelines, the armed forces can acquire weapon systems up to ₹300 crore. The Heron Mk II, developed by Israel, is recognised for its reliability and versatility and has been deployed by the Indian Army at forward bases in the northern sector. In line with India’s defence indigenisation goals, Israeli defence industries, including state-owned manufacturers, are collaborating with Indian defence PSUs and private firms to enhance local production and establish training, maintenance, and integration facilities within India.
Regional Language Education in Kendriya Vidyalayas
According to data presented in the Lok Sabha by the Union Ministry of Education, about 16% of Kendriya Vidyalayas (KVs) across India offer regional language education in 10 languages. The report comes five years after the implementation of the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020, which introduced flexibility in the three-language formula. There are 1,405 sanctioned KVs and 689 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs) in the country, both run by the Union Government. Of these, 226 KVs provide regional language instruction in Gujarati, Kannada, Punjabi, Tamil, Malayalam, Assamese, Bodo, Marathi, Bengali, and Manipuri. In JNVs, regional or local languages—including Hindi—are taught as compulsory subjects from Classes VI to IX. As per the policy, Hindi and English are mandatory from Classes I to VIII, with Sanskrit added between Classes VI and VIII. Students in Classes IX and X may choose any two languages among English, Hindi, and Sanskrit. Among the KVs that teach regional languages, Punjabi is the most widely taught.
Sanchar Saathi App to Be Made Mandatory on Smartphones from March 2026
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has directed all smartphone manufacturers to pre-install the Sanchar Saathi app on devices sold from March 2026 and ensure its functions are not disabled. The app will be used to verify the authenticity of IMEI numbers, report scam calls, and block stolen phones. The government also instructed that existing devices in the market should receive the app through software updates. The Sanchar Saathi initiative, first launched as a portal in 2023, has so far received 2.48 lakh complaints and handled over 2.9 crore user requests to identify mobile connections. The DoT stated that the app has helped recover around 50,000 lost or stolen devices per month and aims to curb telecom-related frauds and the sale of blacklisted mobile phones. The app does not collect user data, as declared by the DoT.
GST Collections Fall to ₹1.7 Lakh Crore in November 2025
India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections fell to a year-low of ₹1.70 lakh crore in November 2025, recording a marginal 0.7% year-on-year growth, as per official data. The decline was mainly due to a major reduction in GST rates on most goods and services, implemented from September 22, 2025, when the government rationalised the tax structure from four slabs (5%, 12%, 18%, and 28%) to just two rates — 5% and 18%. The move was part of a reform aimed at boosting local consumption and strengthening the domestic economy. The slowdown in GST inflows follows the exclusion of cess proceeds on sin and luxury goods from the total revenue.
IIT Madras–Indian Navy Defence Tech Collaboration
The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Navy and Apollo Micro Systems Limited to accelerate the development of indigenous defence technologies. The MoU was formalised during the Indian Navy’s ‘Swavalamban 2025’ event held in New Delhi on November 25, in the presence of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The collaboration aims to create a framework for addressing technological challenges faced by the Armed Forces and to speed up the transformation of early-stage research into field-ready defence products. Under the agreement, IIT Madras will lead the research, conceptual design, and intellectual property (IP) creation related to these defence innovations.
Tamil Nadu News
Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan Renamed as Lok Bhavan
The Tamil Nadu Raj Bhavan, the official residence and office of the Governor of Tamil Nadu, has been redesignated as Lok Bhavan with immediate effect for all official purposes. According to an official release issued by the Public Relations Office, the change aligns with a communication from the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. The renaming aims to replace colonial nomenclature and reflect a shift towards a people-centric democratic governance structure. With this decision, all official references to “Raj Bhavan, Tamil Nadu” will now be made as “Lok Bhavan, Tamil Nadu.”
Economy News
LIC Raises Stake in Cipla to 7.05%
The Life Insurance Corporation of India (LIC), a state-owned insurer, increased its shareholding in the pharmaceutical company Cipla to 7.055% by the end of November 2025, up from 5.025% in mid-July. According to Cipla’s stock exchange filing, LIC acquired over 1.64 crore shares through open market purchases, raising its stake by an additional 2%. Following the acquisition, Cipla shares closed at ₹1,523.80 on the BSE, marking a slight decline of less than 1%.
Sports News
World Athletes of the Year 2025 Announced
Sweden’s Armand “Mondo” Duplantis and America’s Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone were named the World Athletes of the Year on Sunday. Duplantis, a pole vault champion, and McLaughlin-Levrone, the 400m World Champion, received top honours from the World Athletics Awards. Other awardees included Emmanuel Wanyonyi (Kenya) in men’s track events, Nicola Olyslagers (Australia) in women’s field events, Sabastian Sawe (Kenya) in men’s out-of-stadium events, and Maria Perez (Spain) in women’s out-of-stadium events.
Tamil Nadu Wins BCCI Men’s State-A One-Day Trophy
The Tamil Nadu Under-23 cricket team won the BCCI Men’s State-A One-Day Trophy, defeating Uttar Pradesh by 56 runs in the final held at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai, on November 25. S. Mohamed Ali was the standout performer, scoring 57 runs and taking five wickets (5/46), earning him the Player of the Match award. Batting first, Tamil Nadu posted 297 runs, with half-centuries from S.R. Athish, Mohamed Ali, and Manav Parakh. In response, Uttar Pradesh was bowled out for 241 runs. Prashant Veer scored 87 runs for Uttar Pradesh and was named Player of the Series. For Tamil Nadu, S.R. Athish emerged as the highest run-getter with 506 runs, while G. Govinth was the top wicket-taker with 15 wickets.