Daily Current Affairs – 27-12-2025
National News
NMC sets up inspection mechanism for medical college recognition
The National Medical Commission (NMC) has announced the formation of a special inspection mechanism for medical college recognition and renewal, inviting medical professors to apply online to participate as assessors in inspections for the upcoming academic year; approval by the NMC is mandatory for renewal of recognition and for new applications by medical colleges, and the Commission conducts surprise inspections over a specified period to verify facilities such as biometric attendance systems, surveillance cameras, and infrastructure before granting recognition; through a circular issued to all medical college deans, the NMC’s Medical Assessment and Rating Board (MARB) informed that professors from medical colleges will be engaged as evaluators, and interested faculty members can register their details via the NMC website.
President Droupadi Murmu to undertake submarine voyage
Droupadi Murmu, the President of India, is scheduled to travel in a submarine from Karwar port in Karnataka on December 28, as part of her four-day official tour covering Goa, Karnataka, and Jharkhand, according to a release from the President’s Secretariat; she will visit Goa on December 27, undertake the submarine journey from Karwar, and later attend the 15th convocation ceremony of the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jamshedpur, on December 28, followed by an official programme in Kumta; with this, she becomes the second President of India to travel in a submarine, after A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, who undertook a similar voyage on February 13, 2006, at Visakhapatnam, and she also holds the distinction of being the first President to fly in two Indian Air Force fighter aircraft, having flown in a Sukhoi-30 MKI in 2023 and a Falcon aircraft in October.
Indian companies achieve record IPO mobilisation in 2025
According to a report by Global One Wall Financial Services, Indian companies raised a record ₹1.95 lakh crore through Initial Public Offerings (IPOs) in 2025 via more than 365 IPOs, surpassing the previous year’s record; 106 large companies accounted for 94% of total mobilisation, raising ₹1.83 lakh crore, while 259 small and medium enterprises were listed on Indian stock exchanges; in 2025, Tata Capital raised ₹15,512 crore in October, marking the fourth-largest IPO in Indian stock market history, followed by Tata Technologies with ₹12,500 crore in September, LG Electronics India with ₹11,607 crore, & Gro with ₹6,632 crore, and Meesho with ₹5,421 crore; sector-wise, Non-Banking Financial Companies (NBFCs) led with a 26.6% share, followed by capital goods, technology, healthcare and consumer durables, while IPOs in 2025 were oversubscribed by an average of 26.6 times.
Aadhaar verification made mandatory for first-day railway ticket booking
The Indian Railways has made Aadhaar verification mandatory for booking general reservation tickets on the first day of the advance reservation period through the IRCTC portal, with the rule coming into effect from January 12; as per the Railway Board order, only Aadhaar-verified users will be allowed to book tickets on the opening day of reservations, which begins 60 days before the scheduled departure of a train, while passengers booking counter (paper) tickets can continue by producing any valid identity document; the measure follows the earlier step of making Aadhaar OTP verification mandatory for tatkal e-tickets from July 1, and Aadhaar-based restrictions have been progressively expanded, with exclusive booking access for Aadhaar-validated users from 8 am to midnight starting January 12, aimed at preventing bulk bookings by agents and ensuring tickets are purchased by genuine passengers.
Emergency defence procurement mechanism extended
The Defence Acquisition Council (DAC) has extended the Emergency Procurement (EP) mechanism to strengthen operational preparedness, a provision that was introduced after the May 2020 standoff with the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to address urgent and operationally immediate military requirements arising from war or war-like situations, natural calamities and emergencies; under this mechanism, the Vice Chiefs of Staff of the Army, Navy and Air Force are vested with financial powers up to ₹300 crore for Emergency Procurement (Capital), while the defence budget for 2025–26 has been fixed at ₹6,81,210.27 crore, including ₹1,80,000 crore for capital acquisition; emergency procurement cases are time-bound, requiring contract signing within six months of approval and completion of supply within one year, and the DAC, chaired by the Defence Minister, remains the highest decision-making body for defence capital procurement, with its Acceptance of Necessity (AoN) marking the first step in the acquisition process.
UIDAI to expand full-service Aadhaar centres by September 2026
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will expand the number of full-service Aadhaar enrolment and update centres for adults from 88 to 473 by September 2026, according to its CEO Bhuvnesh Kumar; these centres provide all enrolment and modification services, including biometric updates and name changes beyond the online limit, and UIDAI aims to ensure at least one centre for every two districts, while Aadhaar issuance has recently been done only after field verification by district administrations due to concerns over illegal immigration; NRIs and Overseas Citizens of India form a major share of adult applicants, and foreign nationals residing in India are permitted Aadhaar as it is not proof of citizenship; UIDAI is also restricting changes to date of birth to improve data integrity, allowing only one correction with an affidavit, and instances of false date-of-birth entries for children can invite criminal action, including cases where the Allahabad High Court has directed filing of an FIR; UIDAI is additionally working with Google to enable Google location mapping of Aadhaar centres.
Invasive mosquito species poses risk to India’s malaria elimination target
According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare report titled “Malaria Elimination Technical Report, 2025”, the spread of the invasive mosquito Anopheles stephensi in urban areas such as Delhi has emerged as a major challenge to India’s target of eliminating malaria by 2030; the report highlights that asymptomatic infections, difficult terrain, and population movement continue to sustain transmission, with high-burden pockets persisting in Odisha, Tripura, and Mizoram, while cross-border transmission from Myanmar and Bangladesh affects border districts in Northeast India; India has also set an intermediate target of zero indigenous malaria cases by 2027, in line with the World Health Organization strategy, and the report notes that malaria cases declined from 11.7 lakh in 2015 to about 2.27 lakh in 2024, with deaths reduced by 78%, though challenges such as drug and insecticide resistance, limited entomological capacity, uneven private-sector reporting, and healthcare gaps in remote tribal and border areas remain significant.
IndiGo penalised over GST matter
IndiGo has been imposed a GST-related penalty of ₹13,28,255 by the Office of the Assistant Commissioner, State Tax, Excise and Taxation Department, Punjab for the financial year 2021–22; the airline has indicated that it will contest the order before the appropriate authority, and the disclosure was made by its parent company InterGlobe Aviation, with the matter stated to have no significant impact on financials or operations.
Personalities, Awards and Events
President confers Bal Puraskar on 20 children
The Bal Puraskar Award was conferred by Droupadi Murmu, the President of India, on 20 children at an award ceremony held in New Delhi on December 26, recognising exceptional achievements in the fields of social service, environment, sports, art and culture, and science and technology, with awardees selected from 18 States and Union Territories; among the recipients, Viyoma Priya (9) from Coimbatore was posthumously honoured with the Veer Bal Puraskar for her act of bravery on May 23, 2024, when she lost her life while attempting to save another child during an electrocution incident, and the award was received by her mother Archana Sivaramakrishnan, while the names of the remaining awardees were not detailed in the report.
Tripura Assembly Speaker Biswa Bandhu Sen passes away
Biswa Bandhu Sen, the Speaker of the Tripura Legislative Assembly, passed away at the age of 72 on December 26 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Bengaluru, following a stroke; he began his political career with the Indian National Congress and later joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 2017, winning elections as an MLA under both parties and securing four consecutive Assembly victories since 2008; he served as Deputy Speaker from 2018 and was elected Speaker in 2023, and following his demise, the Tripura State Government announced three days of official mourning.
Sports News
Guraj Sharma wins double gold at National Shooting Championship
At the National Shooting Championship held in New Delhi, Guraj Sharma from Madhya Pradesh won two gold medals in the 25m Rapid Fire Pistol event by topping both the senior and junior categories; in the senior final, Guraj scored 31 points to take gold, with reigning champion Vijayveer Sidhu winning silver (28 points) and Manish Kumar of Haryana securing bronze (24 points), while in the junior final, Guraj topped with 30 points, followed by Mukesh with silver (25 points) and Jatin of Haryana with bronze (22 points); in the senior team event, the Haryana team comprising Vijayveer Sidhu, Arjun Singh Cheema and Rajjandeep Singh Sandhu won gold with 1,725 points, another Haryana team with Adarsh Singh, Mandeep Singh and Sameer took silver with 1,722 points, and the Indian Navy team of Pradeep Singh Shekhawat, Rajkumar Sanga and Omprakash Choudhary won bronze with 1,711 points.
Hardik Singh appointed captain of HIL Governing Council team
Hardik Singh, a midfielder, has been appointed as the captain of the HIL Governing Council team for the men’s Hockey India League (HIL), which is scheduled to begin on January 3; the HIL Governing Council team will start its campaign on January 5 against SG Pipers at the Mayor Radhakrishnan Hockey Stadium.
Harry Brook fastest to 3,000 Test runs by balls faced
During the fourth Ashes Test at Melbourne, Harry Brook completed 3,000 runs in Test cricket, becoming the fastest player to reach the milestone in terms of balls faced, achieving it in 3,468 deliveries; in 34 Test matches, he has scored 3,034 runs at an average of 54.17, including 10 centuries and 14 half-centuries across 57 innings, with a strike rate of over 86.
Deepti Sharma becomes joint highest wicket-taker in Women’s T20Is
In the third Women’s T20 International match against Sri Lanka, Deepti Sharma took three wickets for 18 runs, taking her total to 151 wickets in 131 T20I matches, thereby becoming the joint highest wicket-taker in Women’s T20 Internationals along with Megan Schutt; she also reached 333 wickets in Women’s International Cricket, placing her third overall, behind Jhulan Goswami with 355 wickets and Katherine Sciver-Brunt with 335 wickets.
Harmanpreet Kaur sets record in Women’s T20Is
In the third Women’s T20 International match against Sri Lanka, Harmanpreet Kaur, captain of India, achieved her 77th T20I victory as captain from 130 matches, becoming the most successful captain in women’s T20Is, surpassing the previous record held by former Meg Lanning, who had 76 wins from 100 matches.
International News
Myanmar to hold first phase of general election
Myanmar is scheduled to hold the first phase of its general election on December 28, marking the first election in the country in the last five years, with voting planned in three phases—December 28, January 11, and January 25, as announced by the Election Commission; this election is being conducted after the 2021 military takeover, when the armed forces overthrew the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi, following which protests escalated into a civil conflict; the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), known for its pro-military stance, is expected to perform strongly, and the election is viewed as being held to engage the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and to justify support extended to the military government by neighbouring countries such as India, China, and Thailand.
US missile strikes target Islamic State-linked militants in northern Nigeria
The United States carried out missile strikes against Islamic State-linked militant targets in northern Nigeria on Christmas Day, as part of a joint operation with the Nigerian military, and Nigerian authorities indicated that further strikes against jihadist groups may follow; Nigeria has been facing multiple security crises, with jihadist insurgency in the northeast since 2009 and armed banditry in the northwest, and both countries confirmed that the strikes were approved by the Nigerian government and targeted militants associated with the Islamic State group (ISIS), though specific details were not disclosed; the US Africa Command (AFRICOM) stated that multiple ISIS terrorists were killed in an attack in Sokoto state, while Nigeria confirmed that intelligence inputs were provided by Nigerian authorities, reflecting enhanced security coordination between Nigeria and the United States.