13 November 2025

• Health: WHO reported India accounts for 25 percent of global TB cases. India's incidence rate fell slightly to 187 per 100,000 in 2024.
• Climate: UNEP's Global Cooling Watch warned that cooling-related emissions could reach 10.5 billion tonnes CO2e by 2050. The HFC phase-down under Kigali could prevent 0.4 degrees Celsius of warming.
• Defence: Nyoma Air Base in Eastern Ladakh was operationalised. At 13,700 feet and 30 km from the LAC, it is one of India's highest military airstrips.
• Trade: the government announced a Rs 25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission merging the Interest Equalisation Scheme and the Market Access Initiative.
• Minerals: new royalty rates were set for graphite, caesium, rubidium and zirconium under the MMDR Act.

GS area: Health, Social Justice

The WHO Global TB Report 2025 showed India's TB burden is declining but remains the largest in the world.

• India's global share: India accounts for 25 percent of all TB cases globally. This is the largest national share of any country.
• India's incidence rate: fell from 195 per 100,000 in 2023 to 187 per 100,000 in 2024. This represents a reduction of 8 cases per 100,000 in one year.
• Global decline rate: TB incidence fell 1.7 percent between 2023 and 2024 globally. This is slower than the 4 to 5 percent annual decline needed to meet the 2030 End TB targets.
• Country concentration: eight countries together account for 67 percent of all global TB cases. India leads this group, followed by Indonesia (10 percent) and the Philippines (6.8 percent).
• MDR-TB burden: India accounts for 32 percent of global Multi-Drug Resistant TB cases. MDR-TB requires 18 to 24 months of treatment with second-line drugs that carry significant side-effects.
• Government response: Ni-kshay 2.0 is the revised national TB notification and patient support platform. TB-Mukt Bharat is the overarching campaign targeting TB elimination by 2025 (now revised to 2030). India's treatment coverage reached 92 percent in 2024.

India's challenge is reducing transmission in dense urban settings and addressing the nutritional vulnerability that drives high TB risk among low-income populations.

Static linkage: public health policy, TB elimination mission, MDR-TB, Ni-kshay.

GS area: Environment (Climate Change), International Organisations

UNEP released its Global Cooling Watch 2025 report at COP30. It warned that the world's growing need for cooling threatens to derail climate targets.

• Cooling demand growth: global cooling capacity is projected to rise from 22 terawatts in 2025 to 58 terawatts by 2050. This is a 2.6 times increase driven by rising temperatures and expanding access to air conditioning in the developing world.
• Emission trajectory: if current trends continue, cooling-related greenhouse gas emissions could reach 10.5 billion tonnes of CO2 equivalent by 2050.
• Access gap: over 2 billion people currently lack access to affordable cooling. In South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, extreme heat poses direct health risks to populations who cannot access air conditioning.
• HFC phase-down: the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol commits countries to phasing down hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the refrigerants used in most air conditioners and refrigerators. Full implementation of the Kigali HFC phase-down could eliminate 0.4 degrees Celsius of projected warming by 2100.
• Global Cooling Pledge: 72 nations have signed this pledge targeting a 68 percent reduction in cooling-related emissions by 2050. The pledge promotes energy-efficient cooling standards and refrigerant transitions.
• Kigali Amendment: India ratified the Kigali Amendment to the Montreal Protocol in 2021. India committed to phasing down HFC consumption by 85 percent by 2047.

Static linkage: Montreal Protocol, Kigali Amendment, COP process, climate finance.

GS area: Economy (Revenue Intelligence), Internal Security

The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence launched Operation Bullion Blaze in Mumbai, targeting illicit gold smuggling networks.

• Seizure: 11.88 kg of gold valued at Rs 15.05 crore. The gold was seized across simultaneous searches at four premises in Mumbai.
• Premises searched: two illegal melting units and two unregistered shops dealing in gold.
• Arrests: 11 individuals were arrested. The arrests included both operators of the melting units and buyers.
• DRI mandate: the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence functions under the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC). It is India's apex intelligence and enforcement agency for customs law violations.
• Gold smuggling context: India is the world's second-largest gold consumer after China. Customs duty differentials (currently 6 percent basic customs duty plus surcharges) create a persistent incentive to smuggle gold into the country. Smuggled gold enters through airports, sea ports and land borders.

Static linkage: CBIC, customs enforcement, gold import policy, DRI.

GS area: Agriculture (Intellectual Property, Seed Policy)

The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Act completed 25 years since its enactment in 2001.

• Enactment: the PPV&FRA Act was enacted in 2001. The Protection of Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Authority (PPVFRA) became operational in 2005.
• DUS standards: plant varieties can be registered under the Act if they meet Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability (DUS) criteria. As of 2025, DUS standards have been notified for 57 crop species.
• Farmers' rights: farmers are explicitly permitted to save seed from their harvest and use, sow, resow, exchange and share it with other farmers. This right applies even to registered varieties. Farmers cannot, however, sell branded seed of a registered variety under the registered variety's commercial name.
• Compensation provision: farmers whose crops fail to perform as described by the breeder (non-performance of varieties) are eligible to claim compensation from the variety registrant.
• Plant Genome Saviour Award 2025: two recipients recognised. A Community Seed Bank in Telangana was awarded for conserving traditional varieties. The Mithilanchal Makhana Producers' Association in Bihar was awarded for preserving the traditional makhana (fox nut) cultivation ecosystem.

Static linkage: seed policy, intellectual property in agriculture, farmers' rights, TRIPS Agreement compliance.

GS area: Economy (Resources), Science and Technology

The Union Cabinet approved new royalty rates for four critical minerals: graphite, caesium, rubidium and zirconium.

• Graphite royalty: 2 percent for higher-grade graphite (above 80 percent carbon content). 4 percent for lower-grade graphite. Graphite is the primary material for lithium-ion battery anodes.
• Caesium and rubidium royalty: 2 percent each. Caesium is used in atomic clocks and GPS systems. Rubidium has applications in electronics and quantum technology.
• Zirconium royalty: 1 percent. Zirconium is used in nuclear reactors (zircaloy cladding) and advanced ceramics.
• Governing law: the Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, 1957 (MMDR Act). Royalty rates for minerals are fixed by the Central Government under Schedule II of the Act.
• Graphite import dependence: India currently imports 60 percent of its graphite requirement. Domestic mining of graphite-bearing formations has been limited. The new royalty rates are calibrated to make domestic extraction commercially attractive while keeping costs competitive.

Static linkage: MMDR Act, critical minerals policy, battery supply chain, mining royalties.

GS area: Defence, Internal Security

The Indian Air Force operationalised Nyoma Advanced Landing Ground in Eastern Ladakh, strengthening India's capability along the Line of Actual Control.

• Location: Mudh-Nyoma area, Eastern Ladakh. Situated on the northern bank of the Indus River.
• Altitude: 13,700 feet above sea level. This makes Nyoma one of the highest operational airfields in the world.
• Proximity to LAC: 30 km from the Line of Actual Control with China.
• History: the airstrip was originally constructed in 1962 during the India-China war. It was reactivated in 2009. Major upgrades were undertaken under Project Himank following the 2020 Galwan Valley standoff.
• Infrastructure: a 2.7 km paved runway constructed at a cost of Rs 218 crore. The runway is capable of handling fighter jets, C-130J Hercules transport aircraft, AN-32 tactical transports, and Apache and Chinook helicopters.
• Project Himank: the Border Roads Organisation project responsible for infrastructure development in Ladakh. Project Himank has developed roads, bridges and airstrips across the region since 1985.

Static linkage: border infrastructure, India-China relations, LAC, Eastern Ladakh.

GS area: Disaster Management, Technology

The Ministry of Road Transport mandated that all highway detailed project reports (DPRs) must incorporate the National Database for Emergency Management from 13 November 2025.

• Developer: National Remote Sensing Centre (NRSC) under ISRO, with guidance from the Ministry of Home Affairs and the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).
• Function: NDEM provides real-time geo-spatial data covering India's terrain, infrastructure and risk zones. It is a centralised, updatable repository of hazard data.
• Hazard coverage: multi-hazard platform covering floods, earthquakes, landslides, droughts and cyclones. Highway DPRs near flood plains, earthquake zones or landslide-prone slopes must now be designed against NDEM risk data.
• Highway relevance: India's national highway network covers over 1.44 lakh km. Many stretches pass through flood-prone river corridors and landslide-active hill ranges. Incorporating NDEM data at the DPR stage is intended to reduce post-construction damage from natural hazards.
• NDMA mandate: the National Disaster Management Authority operates under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. It is responsible for laying down disaster risk reduction standards that are binding on central government agencies.

Static linkage: disaster management, NDMA, ISRO, national highway infrastructure.

GS area: Economy (International Trade)

The Cabinet approved a Rs 25,060 crore Export Promotion Mission to consolidate India's trade support architecture for the period 2025-26 to 2030-31.

• Implementing agency: Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
• Two sub-schemes: Niryat Protsahan (export incentive) and Niryat Disha (export facilitation and market intelligence). Niryat means "export" in Hindi.
• Predecessor schemes merged: the Interest Equalisation Scheme (which subsidised export credit interest rates) and the Market Access Initiative (which funded promotional activities in new markets) are both subsumed into EPM.
• Priority sectors: textiles, leather, gems and jewellery, engineering goods and marine products. These are labour-intensive sectors with significant employment multiplier effects.
• Total outlay: Rs 25,060 crore over six years (2025-26 to 2030-31). This is the largest single allocation to export promotion infrastructure in India's trade policy history.

Static linkage: foreign trade policy, DGFT, interest equalisation, export incentives.

GS area: Environment (Climate Finance), International Relations

The Climate Investment Funds launched the ARISE (Accelerating Resilient and Inclusive Socio-Economic Development) Program at COP30.

• Lead donors: Germany and Spain each contributed to an initial corpus of EUR 100 million at launch.
• Purpose: ARISE mainstreams climate resilience into national economic planning processes in developing and vulnerable countries. Rather than funding individual projects, it helps governments embed climate risk into their core fiscal and development frameworks.
• CIF background: the Climate Investment Funds were established in 2008 as a multilateral climate finance mechanism. CIF is not a UN body but is governed by contributor and recipient country representatives. It operates through MDB delivery partners including the World Bank and Asian Development Bank.
• COP30 context: COP30 was held in Brazil. ARISE is one of several new finance instruments announced at the conference to operationalise the New Collective Quantified Goal on Climate Finance agreed in prior COP cycles.

Static linkage: climate finance, multilateral development banks, COP process, climate resilience.

• TB-Mukt Bharat: the original target was TB elimination by 2025. India revised this to 2030 after incidence reductions proved slower than projected. "Elimination" means reducing incidence below 1 per 100,000 population.
• Montreal Protocol: the 1987 treaty that phased out ozone-depleting substances. India is a party. The Kigali Amendment (2016) extended the Protocol's scope to HFCs, which are potent greenhouse gases though not ozone-depleting.
• Graphite and battery supply chain: China controls over 65 percent of global graphite processing capacity. India's attempt to develop domestic graphite supply is part of a broader effort to reduce battery raw material dependence on China.
• DUS criteria: Distinctness, Uniformity and Stability are the three internationally accepted criteria (under UPOV Convention) for granting plant variety protection. India is not a member of UPOV but its PPV&FRA Act aligns with UPOV 1978 norms.