Daily Current Affairs – 17-12-2025
Personalities, Awards and Events
2025 ICTP Prize Awarded to Indian Scientists
The 2025 ICTP Prize has been awarded to Titas Chanda, Assistant Professor at IIT Madras, and Sthitadhi Roy, Assistant Professor at the International Centre for Theoretical Sciences (ICTS), Bengaluru, by the International Centre for Theoretical Physics (ICTP). The award recognises their contributions to the theory of quantum many-body systems, particularly at the interface of condensed matter physics and quantum information science, with work advancing the understanding of non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum systems, quantum correlations, and measurement-driven phase transitions. The ICTP Prize, instituted in 1982, is awarded annually to young scientists from developing countries and includes a certificate and a cash award. The ICTP was founded in 1964 by Pakistani physicist and Nobel laureate Abdus Salam to support scientists from developing nations.
PM Modi conferred Ethiopia’s highest civilian honour
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was conferred Ethiopia’s highest award, the ‘Great Honour Nishan of Ethiopia’, by Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali in Addis Ababa on Tuesday, in recognition of his role in strengthening India–Ethiopia bilateral relations; following discussions on issues of mutual bilateral interest, India and Ethiopia also decided to elevate their relationship to a Strategic Partnership, as stated by the Ministry of External Affairs.
Rashtrapati Bhavan displays portraits of Param Vir Chakra awardees
Portraits of all 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees have been displayed at the Rashtrapati Bhavan, replacing the earlier portraits of 96 British Aide-de-Camps (ADCs); the Param Vir Chakra is India’s highest military honour, awarded for exceptional valour during war, and the display was inaugurated by President Droupadi Murmu at the ‘Param Vir Dirgha’ gallery on the occasion of Vijay Diwas in New Delhi; as part of wider changes, several colonial-era names have been replaced, including Rajpath renamed as Kartavya Path, the Indian Navy ensign redesigned without the Saint George’s Cross, the Mughal Garden of Rashtrapati Bhavan renamed Amrit Udyan, and in 2018, Ross Island renamed Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Dweep, Neil Island as Shaheed Dweep, and Havelock Island as Swaraj Dweep, while in 2024, Port Blair was renamed Sri Vijaya Puram and 21 islands in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands were named after Param Vir Chakra awardees.
National News
Indian Army Observes Vijay Divas at Army House
The Indian Army organised the Vijay Divas ‘At Home’ event at the Army House, New Delhi, to commemorate the decisive victory of Indian armed forces in the 1971 India–Pakistan War. The event was attended by President Droupadi Murmu. According to the Ministry of Defence, the celebration featured a showcase of indigenously developed defence technologies and niche capabilities, highlighting the Army’s transformation towards a self-reliant force. The exhibition displayed homegrown military equipment and innovations, reflecting collaboration between Indian soldiers, engineers, startups, and academic institutions, and also noted that several technologies have dual-use potential in areas such as disaster response, infrastructure development, and sustainability.
New Bill Proposed to Replace MGNREGA in Lok Sabha
On December 16, the Viksit Bharat Rural Employment and Livelihood Guarantee Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha by Union Minister for Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan, seeking to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA); the bill proposes increasing guaranteed rural employment from 100 days to 125 days in a financial year and focuses on water security, rural infrastructure creation, livelihood generation, transparency, planning, accountability, and emergency works, while also providing flexibility during peak agricultural seasons; the introduction of the bill led to protests by opposition parties over the exclusion of Mahatma Gandhi’s name, and opposition members demanded that the bill be referred to a Parliamentary Committee for detailed examination.
Vijay Diwas commemorates India’s 1971 war victory
On December 16, observed annually as Vijay Diwas, President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid homage to soldiers who laid down their lives in the 1971 India–Pakistan War, which resulted in the liberation of Bangladesh; following India’s decisive victory, 93,000 Pakistani soldiers led by General A.K. Niazi surrendered to the Indian Army, marking the largest military surrender since World War II; on the occasion of the 56th Vijay Diwas, tributes were also paid in Parliament, and a new ‘Param Vir’ gallery displaying portraits of 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees, created by the Ministry of Defence, was inaugurated by the President at the Rashtrapati Bhavan.
President withholds assent to West Bengal bills on university chancellorship
President Droupadi Murmu has refused assent to the West Bengal University Laws (Amendment) Bill, the Aliah University (Amendment) Bill, and the West Bengal University of Health Sciences (Amendment) Bill, which were passed in 2022 to replace the Governor with the Chief Minister of West Bengal as Chancellor of state universities; the bills were earlier withheld by then Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar and later forwarded for presidential consideration by Governor Ananda Bose in April 2024, and with the President’s refusal, the Governor will continue as Chancellor of state universities in West Bengal.
West Bengal releases draft electoral rolls after SIR
The Election Commission of India (ECI) released the draft electoral rolls for West Bengal after completing Phase I of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), following the deletion of over 58.20 lakh voters identified as deceased or permanently shifted, reducing the electorate from 7,66,37,529 (January 2025) to 7,08,16,631 voters; the ECI has identified about 1.66 crore voters whose documents may require re-verification, and the booth-wise deletion lists with reasons have been published on the West Bengal Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) website, the ECI voter portal, and the ECINET app, with claims and objections open from December 16 to January 15, 2026, hearings and verification scheduled from December 16 to February 7, and the final electoral rolls to be published on February 14, as stated by the office of State CEO Manoj Kumar Agarwal.
Puducherry deletes nearly 10% voters after SIR
Following the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls, nearly 10% of voters, about one lakh, were deleted from the draft electoral rolls across the four regions of Puducherry, Karaikal, Mahe, and Yanam, reducing the total electorate in the Union Territory of Puducherry from 10.2 lakh to 9.2 lakh, according to Chief Electoral Officer P. Jawahar; among the deletions, 20,798 voters (2%) were removed due to death, 80,645 voters (8%) due to change of address or non-availability at the registered address, and 2,024 voters (0.2%) due to double registration, while around 71,500 persons whose names or ancestors’ names were missing in earlier revisions have been included in the draft roll, subject to submission of any one of the 12 prescribed documents for inclusion in the final electoral roll.
West Bengal Sports Minister Arup Biswas resigns after Salt Lake Stadium incident
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accepted the resignation of Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Arup Biswas on Tuesday following lapses reported during the Lionel Messi event held at Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, on December 13, and issued show-cause notices to DGP Rajeev Kumar, Bidhannagar Police Commissioner Mukesh Kumar, and other senior officials over security and crowd management failures; Biswas will continue as Power Minister, while the Sports and Youth Affairs Department will be handled by the Chief Minister until a new minister is appointed, and the action followed the submission of preliminary findings by a probe committee headed by Justice Asim Kumar Roy (Retd.), former judge of the Calcutta High Court.
PM Surya Ghar scheme enables zero power bills for over 7.7 lakh consumers
Under the PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana (PMSG: MBY), more than 7.70 lakh electricity consumers across India have reported zero monthly power bills, with Gujarat, Kerala, and Maharashtra accounting for over 75% of such beneficiaries; Gujarat leads with over 3.62 lakh consumers, followed by Kerala (1.17 lakh) and Maharashtra (1.05 lakh), as informed by Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Shripad Naik in Parliament, while other States include Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Andhra Pradesh; the scheme was launched by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) in February 2024 with an outlay of ₹75,021 crore, aiming to install rooftop solar (RTS) systems in one crore households by FY 2026–27, and as of December 9, about 19.45 lakh RTS systems have been installed benefiting over 24.35 lakh households, with total residential rooftop solar capacity crossing 7 GW, led by Gujarat (1,828 MW), Maharashtra (1,322 MW), and Uttar Pradesh (1,024 MW).
EC releases draft electoral rolls for five States and UTs
The Election Commission of India (EC) published the draft electoral rolls for five States and Union Territories — West Bengal, Rajasthan, Goa, Puducherry, and Lakshadweep — as part of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise; the revision led to the removal of over 58 lakh names in West Bengal, nearly 42 lakh in Rajasthan, 10 lakh in Goa, a little over 1 lakh in Puducherry, and around 1,500 in Lakshadweep, mainly due to death, migration/absence, and multiple enrolments, while the draft lists include voters who submitted enumeration forms without mandatory document submission in this phase announced on October 27; the claims and objections period will be held from December 16 to January 15, verification will conclude on February 7, and the final electoral rolls will be published on February 14, with details made available on the Chief Electoral Officer website, EC voter portal, and ECINET app.
B. Sairam appointed CMD of Coal India
B. Sairam has been appointed as the Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) of Coal India, a state-owned Maharatna company, with effect from Monday, succeeding Sanoj Kumar Jha, who held interim charge after the superannuation of P. M. Prasad in October; prior to this appointment, B. Sairam served as CMD of Northern Coalfields Limited and earlier as Director (Technical) at Central Coalfields Limited, a subsidiary of Coal India, while provisional data from the Ministry of Coal showed that India’s coal production increased by 2.06% in November, reaching 92.68 million tonnes, compared to 90.81 million tonnes in the corresponding period of the previous year.
Tamil Nadu News
MTC Launches All-Woman ‘Pink Crew’ Bus Service in Chennai
The Metropolitan Transport Corporation (MTC), Chennai, has launched an all-woman bus crew, known as the ‘Pink Crew’, on two routes in the city as part of the Pink Bus Scheme, under which women are allowed to travel free on ordinary buses. The initiative aims to enhance women’s participation and leadership in public transport. The service has been introduced from the Vyasarpadi Depot on electric bus routes No. 57CT (Vyasarpadi Depot – Vallalar Nagar – Mint Terminus) and Route No. 57 (Vallalar Nagar – Mint Terminus – Red Hills Bus Terminus). The first all-woman crew consists of U. Manikavalli (Driver) and M. Eshwari (Conductor). The initiative was proposed by MTC Managing Director T. Prabhushankar. These electric buses are operated under a Gross Cost Contract by OHM Global Mobility, a subsidiary of Ashok Leyland, where the driver is appointed by the private operator and the conductor is deputed by MTC. The MTC has stated that the initiative will be expanded to more routes, with four women drivers currently undergoing training, and the corporation presently has 75 women conductors.
Economy News
Lok Sabha Clears Bill for 100% FDI in Insurance
On December 16, the Lok Sabha approved the Insurance (Amendment) Bill, 2025, which allows Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in the insurance sector to be increased from 74% to 100%, amid opposition protests. The Bill was introduced by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and seeks to amend the Insurance Act, 1938, the Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956, and the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority Act, 1999. The legislation also permits the merger of a non-insurance company with an insurance company and mandates that at least one of the top three positions—Chairman, Managing Director, or Chief Executive Officer—in an insurance company must be held by an Indian citizen, even with 100% FDI. The Union Cabinet had approved the Bill prior to its introduction, and it was subsequently passed by the Lok Sabha.
RBI permits HDFC group to acquire up to 9.5% stake in IndusInd Bank
The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has approved HDFC Bank to allow its group entities to acquire up to 9.5% aggregate stake in IndusInd Bank, a private sector bank, under the RBI Commercial Banks (Acquisition and Holding of Shares or Voting Rights) Directions, 2025; the approval, granted on December 15, applies to combined holdings of HDFC Mutual Fund, HDFC Life Insurance, HDFC Ergo General Insurance, HDFC Pension Fund, and HDFC Securities, with the condition that the total holding must not exceed 9.5% of IndusInd Bank’s paid-up share capital or voting rights, and the permission will remain valid for one year until December 14, 2026, during which the acquisition must be completed.
International News
India–Jordan Trade Target Set at $5 Billion
On December 16, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his official visit to Amman, stated that India–Jordan bilateral trade should be doubled to $5 billion (₹45,483 crore) within the next five years, from the current level of $2.3 billion. During talks with King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, both sides discussed strengthening cooperation in trade, investment, renewable energy, water management, information exchange, cultural cooperation, and logistics. At the India–Jordan Business Forum, emphasis was placed on leveraging India’s infrastructure growth and expanding cooperation in information technology, finance, health, agriculture technology, renewable energy, highways, and railways. Following the meeting, five Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) were signed covering renewable energy, water management and development, cooperation between PETRA (Jordan) and EXIM Bank of India, cultural exchange, and bilateral trade, and a joint task force on trade and investment was established to address policy and regulatory barriers.
India–Ethiopia ties elevated to Strategic Partnership during PM Modi’s visit
India and Ethiopia elevated their bilateral relations to a Strategic Partnership following talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed Ali in Addis Ababa, marking PM Modi’s maiden bilateral visit to Ethiopia; discussions covered cooperation in trade and investment, innovation, technology, defence, health, capacity building, and multilateral engagement, and India announced the doubling of scholarships for Ethiopian students for higher education in India; Ethiopia’s role as host of the African Union headquarters was noted, along with India’s role during its G20 Presidency in 2023 in securing permanent membership for the African Union; during the visit, PM Narendra Modi was conferred Ethiopia’s highest civilian honour, the Great Honour of the Nishan of Ethiopia, at the Addis International Convention Centre.
India launches National Tiger Census with focus on Corbett and Jharkhand
India launched its National Tiger Census on Sunday, a four-yearly exercise to scientifically assess the population, distribution, and movement of Bengal tigers across major forest areas and reserves, with a strong emphasis on modern technology and scientific methods; the Corbett Tiger Reserve in Uttarakhand, home to over 260 tigers, is a key focus area where the survey will be conducted in three phases using more than 550 camera traps, while Uttarakhand recorded 560 tigers in the previous census, and the exercise is being supported by specialised training provided by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII); simultaneously, in Jharkhand, tiger pugmarks were recorded on the first day of the census on December 15 in areas including the Palamu Tiger Reserve and Dalma Wildlife Sanctuary, as the census is being conducted across 31 territorial forest divisions and five protected wildlife divisions as part of the nationwide wildlife enumeration programme.
Rupee hits record low beyond 91 against US dollar
The Indian Rupee depreciated beyond the 91 level against the U.S. dollar, touching 91.14 in intraday trade and closing at 90.93, marking a fresh all-time low in the spot market and becoming the weakest currency in Asia in 2025; data showed that Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) withdrew nearly $2.7 billion in December, while India’s coal and power-linked macro indicators reflected moderation, and provisional trends indicated limited Reserve Bank of India (RBI) intervention amid a global trade-war environment, with uncertainty surrounding the India–U.S. trade deal influencing currency movement.
Environment News
Banned drug diclofenac continues to threaten vulture population
A scientific study has reported a sharp decline in three Critically Endangered Gyps vulture species — White-rumped vulture, Red-headed vulture, and Long-billed vulture — in South Asia, attributing the cause to unintentional poisoning from the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) diclofenac, whose veterinary use was banned by the Union Government in May 2006; the study titled “The continued threat of toxic NSAIDs to Critically Endangered Gyps vultures in South Asia”, conducted between 2012 and 2024 by 13 researchers and published in Bird Conservation International, found that despite reduced availability in Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs), diclofenac remains accessible, notably in Rajasthan, while meloxicam continues to be the most commonly available vulture-safe veterinary NSAID; the Central Government also imposed a ban on ketoprofen and aceclofenac veterinary formulations in July 2023, and Tamil Nadu has implemented additional restrictions on toxic veterinary drugs such as flunixin in key vulture habitats including The Nilgiris, Erode, and Coimbatore, and restricted ketoprofen as early as 2015.
Sports News
Tamil Nadu launches Athlete Management System
Udhayanidhi Stalin, Deputy Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu and Minister for Youth Welfare and Sports Development, launched the second edition of the Tamil Nadu Sports Conclave (TASCON 2.0 – 2025) organised by the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) in Chennai, during which a new Athlete Management System was also launched at a cost of ₹5 crore, as announced in the State Budget; the conclave has been held since 2023, and the Chief Minister’s Trophy tournament recorded participation of about 15 lakh players with a prize money allocation of ₹35 crore, while the State government is constructing Chief Minister’s Mini Stadiums in all constituencies at a cost of ₹3 crore per stadium, each with a minimum of five sports facilities.
Sabalenka wins second WTA Tour Player of the Year award
Aryna Sabalenka won the WTA Tour Player of the Year Award for the second consecutive time, after securing the U.S. Open title, reaching the finals of two other Grand Slam tournaments, and finishing the season as World No. 1 in the WTA rankings; she received nearly 80% of the votes from the media panel and became only the third player in the last 25 years, after Serena Williams and Iga Swiatek, to win this honour in back-to-back years.