UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 3 December 2025

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 3 December 2025 covers important current affairs of the day, their backward linkages, their relevance for Prelims exam and MCQs on main articles

 

InstaLinks : Insta Links help you think beyond the current affairs issue and help you think multidimensionally to develop depth in your understanding of these issues. These linkages provided in this ‘hint’ format help you frame possible questions in your mind that might arise(or an examiner might imagine) from each current event. InstaLinks also connect every issue to their static or theoretical background.

Table of Contents

GS Paper 1/2 : (UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 3 December 2025)

1. Inclusive Growth and Disability Rights

2. East African Rift Valley

 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):

1. Child Marriage Hotspot

Facts for Prelims (FFP):

1. WHO’s Global Guideline on GLP-1 Medicines

2. Solar Flares

3. INS Aridaman

4. INS Taragiri

5. Opium Poppy Cultivation

6. World Summit on Disaster Management (WSDM) 2025

 Mapping:

1. Bitra Island

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 3 December 2025

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GS Paper 1:

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Inclusive Growth and Disability Rights

Source:  PIB

Subject:  Vulnerable Section

Context: The International Day of Persons with Disabilities highlighted the WHO’s call for inclusive and equitable health financing for persons with disabilities.

About Inclusive Growth and Disability Rights:

What It Means?

• Inclusive growth and disability rights aim to ensure persons with disabilities (PwDs) participate fully in society through accessible infrastructure, livelihoods, education and legal safeguards, eliminating structural barriers to equality and dignity.

Current Status in India:

1. Population size: India has 2.68 crore PwDs (2011 Census) constituting 2.21% of the population, requiring targeted rights-based frameworks for equal participation.
2. Legal identity systems: The UDID programme now enables nationwide disability certification, improving transparency and access to benefits.
3. Expanding disability categories: The RPwD Act 2016 recognises 21 disabilities, expanding coverage beyond the earlier seven categories for more inclusive service delivery.

Need for Inclusive Growth in India:

• Human capital utilisation: PwDs can significantly contribute to the workforce if provided accessible education, skills and mobility, strengthening national productivity.
• Equity and constitutional morality: Inclusive growth fulfils the RPwD Act mandate of non-discrimination, dignity and equal opportunity for all citizens.
• Breaking poverty–disability link: Many disabilities push families into long-term poverty; inclusive systems reduce dependence and enhance economic independence.
• International commitments: As a UNCRPD signatory, India must build an accessible society aligned with rights-based development.

Challenges Faced by Persons with Disabilities (PwDs):

• Accessibility gaps: Public buildings, transport and digital systems often remain inaccessible despite the Accessible India Campaign’s goals.
• High financial burden: Assistive devices, therapies and long-term care create major out-of-pocket costs, pushing families into economic stress.
• Low awareness and outreach: Many PwDs — especially women and marginalised castes — remain unaware of schemes, limiting utilisation.
• Skill and employment barriers: Limited training centres, low employer readiness and inadequate workplace adaptations hinder economic inclusion.
• Justice system hurdles: Legal aid remains inaccessible, with procedural delays and lack of disability-sensitive grievance redressal mechanisms.

Key Initiatives Taken:

1. Legal & Policy Measures:

1. • RPwD Act 2016: Recognises 21 disabilities, mandates accessibility, 4% job reservation, inclusive education and strong anti-discrimination protections.
   • National Trust Act 1999: Supports persons with autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual and multiple disabilities through community-based care systems.
   • RCI Act 1992: Regulates training of rehabilitation professionals and maintains national registers for quality support services.

2. Major Schemes & Programmes

1. • Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan: Advances accessibility across built spaces, transport and ICT; revamped app offers grievance reporting and accessibility mapping.
   • UDID Project: Creates a unified national database, enabling transparent delivery of benefits, renewals, and scheme integration.
   • ADIP Scheme: Provides modern assistive devices, cochlear implants, therapies and post-surgery support to enhance mobility and communication.

Way Ahead:

• Strengthen last-mile delivery: Expand local outreach, ensure multilingual accessibility, and improve district-level awareness for scheme utilisation.
• Scale financing & insurance: Integrate disability coverage in health financing and micro-insurance to prevent catastrophic expenditures.
• Accelerate universal accessibility: Enforce building codes, transport standards and digital accessibility norms across public and private sectors.
• Boost skill-training ecosystem: Expand NAP-SDP courses, industry partnerships, and inclusive workplaces for meaningful employment.
• Enable justice access: Link PM-DAKSH, UDID and legal aid institutions to create disability-friendly grievance and judicial systems.

Conclusion:

India is moving toward an inclusive, rights-based disability framework, combining legislation, digital tools and welfare schemes. Yet bridging awareness gaps, accessibility deficits and financial vulnerabilities remains essential. A coordinated, adequately funded and technology-enabled ecosystem is the path to ensuring dignity, equality and full participation for every person with a disability.

 

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East African Rift Valley

Source:  IE

Subject:  Geomorphology

Context: A new study using resurrected 1960s magnetic data shows clear evidence of active seafloor spreading near the Afar triple junction, confirming that Africa is gradually splitting into two plates.

About East African Rift Valley:

• What it is?

• • World’s largest active continental rift stretches ~3,500 km from the Red Sea to Mozambique, marked by elongate depressions and steep fault scarps produced by crustal extension.

• Key Features:

• • Two distinct branches: the volcanic-rich Eastern Rift (Ethiopia–Kenya) and the seismically active Western Rift (Uganda–Malawi), each showing advanced stages of crustal thinning.
  • Tectonic & volcanic zone: characterised by normal faults, fissures, active volcanoes like Erta Ale, and deep lakes such as Tanganyika formed by subsiding crust.
  • Afar Triple Junction: a meeting point of the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden and East African rifts, making it one of Earth’s most dynamic tectonic regions.
  • Divergent plate boundary: separates the Somali and Nubian plates, with measurable spreading of 5–16 mm/year in the north.

Formation of the Rift Valley:

• Mantle plume upwelling increases heat flow and buoyancy, uplifting and thermally weakening the continental lithosphere beneath Ethiopia–Kenya.
• Tensional plate forces stretch the brittle crust, causing extensional stress that produces large, steep normal faults on both sides of the rift.
• Horst–graben structures form as blocks of crust drop down (grabens) while adjacent blocks rise (horsts), creating deep trough-like rift valleys.
• Magmatism & basaltic volcanism accompany crustal thinning, as fissure eruptions and flood basalts fill the widening rift floor over millions of years.
• Progressive divergence may eventually rupture the continental crust entirely, allowing seafloor spreading to create a new ocean basin.

Factors Causing the African Rift:

• Deep mantle superplume beneath East Africa pushes the lithosphere upward, generating uplift, stretching, and widespread magmatic weakening.
• Divergence between Somali & Nubian plates, moving 5–16 mm/year, progressively widens the rift and increases extensional strain on the crust.
• Afar triple-junction dynamics intensify crustal breakup as three spreading centres mechanically pull the region apart in different directions.
• High heat flow & magma intrusions reduce crustal strength, accelerating normal faulting and basin subsidence.
• Stress transfer from Red Sea & Gulf of Aden spreading centres propagates southward, reinforcing rifting from the northeast to Mozambique.

Implications of the Rift:

• Geological Implications:

• • Formation of a new ocean basin is likely once continental rupture completes, separating the Somali plate from the African mainland.
  • Higher volcanic and seismic activity will persist along Ethiopia, Kenya, and Tanzania as crustal thinning continues and magma pathways open.
  • Creation of deep linear lakes & drainage shifts, altering hydrology and forming new basins such as expanded Lake Turkana or Malawi.
  • Africa’s long-term geographic reconfiguration, producing two continents with newly emergent coastlines and submerged rift floors.

• Socio-Economic Implications:

• • Frequent fissuring, fault scarps & earthquakes threaten roads, farms, schools, and settlements across Rift Valley nations.
  • Damage to public infrastructure—as seen in Kenya and Ethiopia—will raise disaster-risk, requiring continuous monitoring and adaptation.
  • Future coastline emergence may give landlocked nations like Uganda and Zambia potential sea access, reshaping trade patterns.

Conclusion:

The East African Rift Valley represents one of Earth’s most active continental breakup zones, gradually reshaping Africa’s geography. Though unfolding over millions of years, its seismic and volcanic impacts are already visible today. Understanding this rifting is essential for managing future geological hazards and harnessing new resource opportunities.

 

 

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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 3 December 2025 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

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Child Marriage Hotspot

Context: Child marriages in Madhya Pradesh have risen sharply by 47% since 2020, with Damoh district emerging as the worst hotspot in 2025.

• Parliamentary data shows 538 cases recorded this year, the highest in five years.

About Child Marriage Hotspot:

• What it is?
  • A persistent cluster of districts reporting disproportionately high child marriages, mainly in Bundelkhand, central MP, Gwalior–Chambal and tribal belts, indicating entrenched socio-economic vulnerabilities.
• Trends:

• • Steady Statewide Rise: MP saw cases rise from 366 (2020) to 538 (2025) — a 47% increase despite awareness campaigns.
  • District-Level Surge: Damoh alone accounts for 21% of all child marriages in 2025, jumping from 33 cases in 2024 to 115 in 2025.
  • Regional Concentration: Bundelkhand, tribal and economically backward districts dominate the list, signalling poverty-linked, region-specific persistence.

• Implications:
  • Rising child marriages undermine girls’ education, health and economic participation, deepening intergenerational poverty.
  • It increases risks of maternal mortality, early pregnancies and domestic violence.
  • The trend signals weak enforcement of PCMA 2006, gaps in local governance, and failure of social protection schemes to reach the most vulnerable.

Relevance in UPSC Exam Syllabus:

• GS-I (Indian Society):
  • Social issues, patriarchy, demographic vulnerabilities, regional backwardness.
• GS-II (Governance & Social Justice):
  • Implementation gaps in PCMA 2006, child protection mechanisms, role of state machinery and district administrations.
• GS-IV (Ethics):
  • Violation of child rights, exploitation of vulnerable groups, ethical responsibilities of state and society.

 

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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 3 December 2025 Facts for Prelims (FFP)

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WHO’s Global Guideline on GLP-1 Medicines

Source:  BS

Context: The World Health Organization (WHO) has released its first-ever global guideline on the use of GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines for the long-term treatment of obesity.

About WHO’s Global Guideline on GLP-1 Medicines:

What it is?

• A new WHO policy framework offering evidence-based recommendations for using GLP-1 therapies to treat obesity as a chronic, relapsing disease requiring lifelong management.

Key Guidelines Issued:

• Conditional recommendation for long-term use in adults: GLP-1 medicines (semaglutide, tirzepatide, liraglutide) may be used for sustained obesity management—except in pregnant women.
• Must be combined with behavioural interventions: WHO emphasizes that GLP-1 therapy should be paired with structured diet plans, physical activity, and counselling for best outcomes.
• Equity and system readiness: WHO warns that rapid adoption without affordability and access policies could widen health disparities, as <10% of those who need GLP-1 are expected to access them by 2030.

About GLP-1 Medicines:

What they are?

• GLP-1 receptor agonists are a class of drugs originally developed for type-2 diabetes that mimic a natural hormone called Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 involved in appetite regulation and insulin control.

How They Work?

• Reduce appetite and slow stomach emptying → lower calorie intake.
• Increase insulin secretion and reduce blood sugar.
• Improve metabolic health, reducing cardiovascular and kidney complications.
• Lead to significant and sustained weight loss when used long-term.

Key Features:

• Highly effective for weight loss (10–20% body weight reduction in many studies).
• Improve multiple obesity-related comorbidities.
• Administered as weekly/ daily injections depending on formulation.
• Included in WHO Essential Medicines List for diabetes management.

 

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Solar Flares

Source:  NASA

Subject:  Science and Technology

Context: NASA reported a strong X1.9-class solar flare erupting from the Sun causing a major radio blackout over Australia and raising concerns about further space-weather disturbances.

• The flare coincides with the emergence of a massive sunspot (AR 4294–96) over 10 times the size of Earth.

About Solar Flares:

What it is?

• A solar flare is a sudden, intense explosion of energy on the Sun caused by the rapid release of magnetic energy stored in twisted magnetic field lines near sunspots.
• It emits radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum—from radio waves to X-rays and gamma rays.

How It Forms?

• Twisted magnetic fields: Strong magnetic fields around sunspots become twisted and stressed by solar rotation and plasma flows, building up large amounts of magnetic tension and stored energy.
• Magnetic reconnection: When these stressed magnetic field lines suddenly snap and reconnect, the stored magnetic energy is explosively released, creating an intense flare.
• Heating and particle ejection: This energy release heats solar plasma to several million degrees and accelerates photons and charged particles outward at high speeds.
• Link with CMEs: A flare may erupt alone or alongside a coronal mass ejection (CME), which ejects massive clouds of solar plasma capable of disturbing Earth’s magnetic field.

Key Features:

• X-ray classification: Solar flares are ranked from A to X based on peak X-ray brightness, with each letter step representing a tenfold increase in intensity measured by space-based detectors.
• X-class events: X-class flares are the strongest type and can cause global radio blackouts, disrupt navigation systems, and expose satellites to damaging levels of radiation.
• Multi-wavelength radiation: Flares emit radiation across radio, ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma-ray bands, heating solar material almost instantly and affecting space weather conditions.
• Sunspot connection: They commonly arise in large, magnetically complex sunspots where interacting magnetic fields make eruptions more frequent and more powerful.
• Rapid and energetic: Flares unfold within minutes, releasing immense energy unpredictably, which makes forecasting difficult and raises concerns for satellites and communication networks.

Implications:

• Communication disruptions: Affect high-frequency radio signals, aviation communication, maritime navigation, and military systems.
• Satellite and spacecraft risk: Can damage electronics, sensors and expose astronauts to radiation.
• Geomagnetic storms: If accompanied by a CME directed at Earth, can deform Earth’s magnetic field and cause power grid failures.

 

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INS Aridaman

Source:  IT

Subject:  Defence

Context: India is set to commission INS Aridaman, its third indigenous nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN), with Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K.

About INS Aridaman:

What it is?

• INS Aridaman is India’s third indigenously built SSBN, part of the Arihant-class nuclear submarines under the Strategic Forces Command, designed to provide assured retaliatory capability under India’s no-first-use nuclear doctrine.

Built By: Constructed under the Advanced Technology Vessel (ATV) Project, led by:

• Ship Building Centre, Visakhapatnam
• It integrates over 90% indigenous components, including its nuclear reactor.

History of India’s Nuclear Submarine Programme:

• Initiated under the ATV programme in the late 1980s to achieve a credible underwater nuclear deterrent.
• INS Arihant (launched 2009, commissioned 2016) made India the 6th nation with operational SSBN capability.
• INS Arighat followed in 2024.
• INS Aridaman will be the third operational SSBN, marking the first time India will have a minimum rotation fleet for continuous at-sea deterrence.

Key Features of INS Aridaman:

• Displacement: ~6,000 tonnes (surface), ~7,000 tonnes (submerged)
• Reactor: 83 MW pressurised water reactor (BARC) enabling near-unlimited endurance
• Armament:
  • Four vertical launch tubes
  • Up to 24 K-15 Sagarika SLBMs (750 km range) or
  • K-4 missiles with 3,500 km range
• Stealth Enhancements: Anechoic tiles, advanced sonar suite (bow, flank, towed array)

Significance:

• Strengthens Nuclear Triad: Provides survivable, assured second-strike capability essential under India’s no-first-use posture.
• Enhances Maritime Security: Expands Navy’s deterrence reach across the Indo-Pacific amid rising regional tensions.
• Boost to Aatmanirbhar Bharat: High indigenous content reflects mastery over complex nuclear naval propulsion.

 

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INS Taragiri

Source:  TH

Subject:   Defence

Context: The Indian Navy has received ‘Taragiri’, the fourth Nilgiri-class advanced stealth frigate under Project 17A, delivered by Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd.

About INS Taragiri:

What it is?

• INS Taragiri is a Project 17A Nilgiri-class advanced stealth frigate, designed as a multi-mission combat platform with enhanced stealth, firepower, automation and survivability.

Built By: Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd (MDL), Mumbai

Full List Ships Under Project 17A:

• INS Nilgiri
• INS Himgiri
• INS Udaygiri
• INS Taragiri
• INS Dunagiri (Upcoming)

Key Features:

• Advanced Stealth Design: Reduced radar, acoustic and infrared signatures.
• Propulsion: Combined Diesel or Gas (CODOG) system with diesel engines + gas turbines; CPP on each shaft.
• Sensors & Weapons:
  • BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles
  • MF-STAR multifunction radar
  • MRSAM air defence missile complex
  • 76 mm SRGM, 30 mm and 12.7 mm CIWS
  • Torpedoes and rockets for anti-submarine warfare
• Integrated Platform Management System (IPMS) for automation and machinery control
• Indigenisation Level: ~75% with contributions from over 200 MSMEs

Significance:

• Strengthens India’s naval deterrence with a modern, multi-mission stealth combat platform.
• Demonstrates India’s capability to design, construct and deliver sophisticated warships under compressed timelines.
• Supports Aatmanirbhar Bharat through indigenous technologies and large MSME participation.

 

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Opium Poppy Cultivation

Source:  DD News

Subject: Miscellaneous

Context: A new UNODC report shows that Myanmar’s opium poppy cultivation has surged 17%, reaching the highest level in a decade at 53,100 hectares, driven by conflict, economic distress, and rising opium prices.

About Opium Poppy Cultivation:

What it is?

• Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is a flowering plant cultivated for the latex-rich capsules that produce opium and its derivatives.
• It is the world’s primary natural source for morphine, codeine, thebaine, and other alkaloids used in medical and illicit drug markets.

History:

• In India, opium production became a government-controlled monopoly under the East India Company and later the British, with major factories at Ghazipur and Patna.
• After Independence, cultivation and manufacturing came under the Central Government (1950).
• India regulates all activities through the NDPS Act, 1985, and is the only country producing licit opium gum for pharmaceuticals.

Characteristics:

• Climate Needs: Opium poppy thrives in cool, dry regions with low humidity and well-drained soils, conditions that help the plant develop resin-rich capsules for alkaloid extraction.
• Latex Production: When the green capsule is lanced, a milky latex emerges that naturally contains morphine, codeine and other alkaloids used in medicinal and illicit drug manufacturing.
• Harvest Process: Farmers manually score the pods, collect the dried latex the next day and submit it to authorised government centres for weighing, grading and processing.
• Crop Cycle: The poppy is an annual winter crop that matures in about 120 days, enabling systematic monitoring and controlled harvesting by regulatory authorities.

Uses of Opium:

• Medical Uses:

• • Morphine: analgesic for severe pain.
  • Codeine: cough suppressant and mild analgesic.
  • Thebaine derivatives: used to manufacture synthetic opioids.
    • Also used in Ayurveda, Unani, and Homoeopathy.

• Non-medical Uses: Raw opium is processed into heroin and other narcotics, driving illegal trafficking.
• Other Uses: Poppy seeds for food and edible oil.

Issues and Concerns:

• Illicit cultivation fuels organised crime, insurgency, and cross-border smuggling.
• Myanmar’s spike in production threatens regional security, including India’s Northeast, due to proximity to Sagaing and Chin.
• India strictly licenses cultivation only in MP, Rajasthan and UP with annual yield criteria and tight monitoring.

 

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World Summit on Disaster Management (WSDM) 2025

Source:  PIB

Subject:  Miscellaneous

Context: At the World Summit on Disaster Management (WSDM) 2025 in Dehradun, Dr. Jitendra Singh announced major upgrades to Uttarakhand’s early-warning systems, including six weather radars, 33 observatories, and 142 AWS stations.

About World Summit on Disaster Management (WSDM) 2025:

• What it is?
  • WSDM 2025 is a global platform on disaster resilience, bringing together scientists, policymakers, practitioners, and industry leaders to discuss future-ready strategies for disaster risk reduction in a changing climate.
• Held in: Dehradun, Uttarakhand
• Theme: “Strengthening International Cooperation for Building Resilient Communities.”
• Aim:

• • To enhance global disaster collaboration, share scientific insights, strengthen early-warning infrastructure, and promote resilient development, especially in fragile ecosystems like the Himalayas.

• Key Features:

• • Announcement of expanded radar networks, early-warning systems, and Himalayan climate studies.
  • Focus on hydrometeorological hazards, climate change impacts, glacier monitoring, landslide risk, and forest fire prediction.
  • Emphasis on “Nowcast” systems providing 3-hour forecasts to vulnerable districts.
  • Discussions on using agri-startups, CSIR value-addition models, and technological innovation for resilient Himalayan livelihoods.

• Significance:

• • Reinforces India’s emergence as a regional hub for disaster science, forecasting, and climate resilience.
  • Strengthens Uttarakhand’s capacity to manage cloudbursts, GLOFs, landslides, and flash floods.
  • Helps align India’s climate adaptation efforts with global commitments like Net Zero 2070.

 

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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 3 December 2025 Mapping:

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Bitra Island

Source:  TH

Subject:  Mapping

Context: India is set to increase military presence in Lakshadweep, with a new naval detachment on Bitra Island becoming fully operational next year, alongside expanding Air Force facilities on Agatti and Minicoy.

About Bitra Island:

What it is?

• Bitra is the smallest inhabited island of Lakshadweep, forming part of the Amindivi subgroup. It is a tiny coral atoll known for its ecological fragility, lagoon system, and cultural significance.

Location:

• Situated in the Arabian Sea, 483 km west of Kochi.
• Lies north of Perumal Par and southeast of Byramgore Reef within the Lakshadweep archipelago.

Formation:

• Bitra is a coral atoll, formed from the upward growth of coral reefs on submerged volcanic bases.
• Over time, biological accretion and reef-building created a ring-shaped lagoon system, with small sandy islands emerging on the reef surface.

Geological Features:

• Two islands: Main Bitra Island (≈0.177 sq km) + a small southern cay (≈0.009 sq km).
• Lagoon area: ~45–54 sq km, protected by a surrounding coral reef.
• Reef barrier ensures calm lagoon waters even during monsoon storms.

Significance:

• Strategic: Now hosts a new Indian naval detachment, boosting surveillance across critical shipping lanes near the Arabian Sea.
• Cultural: Home to the shrine of Malik Mulla, an Arab saint, making it a pilgrimage site for islanders.
• Ecological: Historically a major seabird breeding ground; part of Lakshadweep’s fragile coral ecosystem.
• Human history: Permanently settled only in 1945, making it one of India’s newest inhabited regions.

 

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