9 November 2025

• Climate: COP30 in Belem, Brazil advanced the New Collective Quantified Goal framework, targeting a tripling of climate finance to USD 300 billion annually by 2035.
• Economy: India's GDP growth in Q2 FY26 moderated to 6.4 per cent, down from 6.7 per cent in Q1, with manufacturing softening offset by a good monsoon.
• Defence: Operation Sunder, a joint India-Myanmar counter-insurgency operation along the unfenced 1,643-kilometre border, targeted Northeast insurgent groups based in Myanmar.
• Health: India activated NDCP avian influenza protocols as global H5N1 outbreaks intensified, with WHO noting increasing human cases linked to dairy cattle.
• Governance: the RBI Report on State Finances 2025 flagged Himachal Pradesh and Punjab as the most fiscally stressed states.

GS area: Environment (climate change, international conventions)

COP30, hosted in Belem, Brazil in November 2025, was the most consequential climate conference since Paris 2015 because it conducted the first major Global Stocktake review of the Paris Agreement's implementation.

• Global Stocktake: a mandatory five-year review under Article 14 of the Paris Agreement assessing collective progress towards the 1.5 degree limit. The first stocktake was completed at COP28 (Dubai 2023); COP30 reviewed the response.
• New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG): operationalised at COP30 after the NCQG framework was agreed at COP29 (Baku 2024). The NCQG replaces the $100 billion annual climate finance pledge (Copenhagen 2009) with a new target of USD 300 billion annually by 2035.
• Tropical Forests Forever Facility (TFFF): formally launched at COP30 (see November 8 entry). Brazil also designated 10 new Indigenous Territories during the conference period.
• India's position: India has historically emphasised CBDR-RC (Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities) in climate negotiations. India seeks differentiated treatment as a developing country despite growing per-capita emissions.
• Belem significance: the Amazon city was chosen to underscore the connection between deforestation, biodiversity loss and climate change.

GS area: Internal security, International Relations

The Indian Army conducted Operation Sunder as a joint counter-insurgency operation with Myanmar, targeting Northeast insurgent groups that use Myanmar territory as a base for operations inside India.

• Border length: the India-Myanmar border runs 1,643 kilometres through the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram.
• Unfenced border: unlike the India-Pakistan and India-Bangladesh borders, the India-Myanmar border is largely unfenced, enabling free movement of both people and armed groups.
• Free Movement Regime (FMR): the existing arrangement allows residents within 16 kilometres on either side of the border to cross without a visa. The Indian government announced in 2024 that it was reviewing and tightening the FMR.
• Insurgent groups: several Northeast insurgent outfits including the NSCN (Khaplang faction) and various Manipur valley-based groups maintain camps inside Myanmar.
• Intelligence sharing: the operation involved intelligence sharing between Indian and Myanmar security agencies, reflecting the continued security partnership despite Myanmar's post-2021 political instability.

GS area: Economy (macroeconomics, national income)

The National Statistical Office released the advance estimate for India's GDP growth in the second quarter of FY26 (July to September 2025) at 6.4 per cent.

• Comparison: Q1 FY26 (April to June 2025) recorded 6.7 per cent growth. The moderation of 0.3 percentage points reflects a cooling in manufacturing activity.
• Sectoral breakdown: agriculture contributed positively, supported by a normal south-west monsoon in 2025. Manufacturing growth moderated on weak exports and subdued private investment.
• GVA vs GDP: GDP is computed as Gross Value Added plus net taxes on products. GVA at basic prices captures economic activity before tax adjustments.
• NSO: the National Statistical Office under MoSPI (Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation) is the official compiler of national accounts.
• Policy context: the RBI had set its FY26 GDP growth forecast at 7.0 per cent. Sequential moderation raises questions about whether monetary easing is sufficient to sustain domestic demand.

GS area: Health (disease surveillance), Science and Technology

India activated NDCP (National Disease Control Programme) protocols for avian influenza vigilance as H5N1 outbreaks intensified globally.

• H5N1 classification: Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) subtype H5N1. First identified in waterfowl in 1996 in Guangdong, China.
• Global concern: the World Health Organisation noted increasing human cases linked to dairy cattle herds in the United States, representing an unusual transmission route beyond poultry.
• India's containment protocol: the National Action Plan for Avian Influenza specifies culling of infected bird populations, restriction of poultry movement, enhanced surveillance at live bird markets, and monitoring of farm workers.
• Responsible ministry: the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying coordinates with the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Agriculture under a One Health approach.
• One Health framework: integrates human, animal and environmental health surveillance, recognising that most emerging infectious diseases originate at the animal-human interface.

GS area: International Relations (ASEAN, trade)

India deepened trade and investment engagement with Thailand's Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), a designated high-technology industrial zone.

• EEC geography: covers three eastern provinces of Thailand: Chachoengsao, Chonburi and Rayong.
• Focus industries: advanced automotive manufacturing, digital economy, aerospace, medical devices and smart electronics. Thailand positions the EEC as its gateway to the ASEAN production network.
• India-Thailand trade: bilateral trade stood at approximately USD 15 billion in 2024-25, with India's imports of electronic components and automobiles exceeding its exports of gems and chemicals.
• India's strategic context: engagement with the EEC aligns with the Act East Policy launched by India in 2014 as an upgrade of the Look East Policy (1992). The India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Highway is the physical connectivity link.
• ASEAN-India FTA review: a review of the 2009 ASEAN-India Free Trade Agreement in goods is ongoing, with India seeking to address the trade deficit that emerged after implementation.

GS area: Economy (public finance, fiscal federalism)

The Reserve Bank of India's annual Report on State Finances 2025 found overall improvement in states' fiscal positions but identified Himachal Pradesh and Punjab as the most stressed.

• Himachal Pradesh: debt-to-GSDP ratio rising sharply, partly due to high committed expenditure on salaries, pensions and interest payments leaving little room for capital spending.
• Punjab: fiscal stress driven by legacy power subsidy commitments, farm support spending and a high debt stock inherited from successive governments.
• Fiscal devolution: the 15th Finance Commission recommended 41 per cent share of the divisible pool of central taxes for states, compared to 42 per cent under the 14th Finance Commission. The reduction reflects Jammu and Kashmir's reorganisation into two Union Territories.
• FRBM Act: the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2003 sets a 3 per cent of GSDP cap on fiscal deficit for states. Stressed states routinely seek derogations and have outstanding loans under the UDAY and SDRF frameworks.
• Significance: the RBI report is a primary source for public finance questions in Prelims. Key metrics include fiscal deficit, revenue deficit, capital outlay ratio and debt sustainability indicators.

GS area: International Relations, Geography (polar regions)

Ongoing reviews of the Antarctic Treaty System drew attention to India's long-standing role as a consultative party.

• Antarctic Treaty: signed on 1 December 1959 in Washington DC. Entered into force on 23 June 1961 with 12 original signatories.
• Current membership: 56 nations, of which 29 are Consultative Parties with voting rights. India has been a Consultative Party since 1983.
• India's research stations: Maitri, established in 1989 at the Schirmacher Oasis in Queen Maud Land, and Bharati, established in 2012 at the Larsemann Hills in Prydz Bay.
• Key provisions: the Treaty prohibits military activity, mineral resource exploitation and nuclear testing on the continent. It designates Antarctica as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science.
• CCAMLR: the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources governs fishing and marine life in the Southern Ocean. India is a member.
• Protocol on Environmental Protection (Madrid Protocol, 1991): designates Antarctica as a natural reserve and prohibits mineral resource activities for 50 years from entry into force.

• National Education Policy 2020 review: the Ministry of Education published the first five-year implementation review of NEP 2020, noting that 28 states had adopted the 5+3+3+4 curricular structure and that the Academic Bank of Credits was operational in 300 higher education institutions.
• India-France defence cooperation: French Defence Minister confirmed that the Marine Nationale and Indian Navy would conduct a joint anti-submarine warfare exercise in the Indian Ocean in December 2025, building on the 2023 India-France Horizon 2047 roadmap.
• PM Gati Shakti progress: the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan portal integrated data from 44 central ministries and 36 states and UTs, with 560 infrastructure projects mapped on the platform for multimodal logistics planning.