UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 17 December 2025

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 17 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 3:

1. From Red Corridor to Naxal-Free Bharat

2. Achievements of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in 2025

Content for Mains Enrichment (CME):

1. India–Jordan Joint Statement (2025)

Facts for Prelims (FFP):

1. Makhana

2. AFMS launches India’s first AI-driven community screening programme for Diabetic Retinopathy

3. The RESPOND Basket 2025

4. Param Vir Chakra (PVC)

5. The Tianjin Declaration

Mapping:

1. Tigris River

UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 17 December 2025

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GS Paper 3:

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From Red Corridor to Naxal-Free Bharat

Source: TH

Subject: Naxalism

Context: India is close to achieving a Naxal-free Bharat, with Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) districts reduced from 126 (2014) to 11 (2025) and only 3 most-affected districts remaining.

About From Red Corridor to Naxal-Free Bharat:

Trends in Naxalism in India (2014–2025):

1. Sharp territorial contraction: Maoist influence shrank from 126 to 11 districts, with core Red Corridor areas dismantled.

Eg: Most-affected districts reduced from 36 to 3 by 2025.

1. Steep fall in violence and casualties: Sustained decline in incidents and deaths.

Eg: Violent incidents down 53%, civilian deaths down 70%, and security force deaths down 73% compared to 2004–14.

1. High cadre attrition: Arrests, surrenders and neutralisation peaked.

Eg: 2025 alone saw 317 neutralised, 800+ arrested, ~2,000 surrendered.

1. Collapse of Maoist parallel governance: Roads, telecom and policing broke jungle sanctuaries.

History of Naxalism in India:

1. Origin (1967): The Naxalbari uprising in West Bengal emerged from landlessness and exploitative agrarian relations, turning class conflict into armed mobilisation.

Eg: Charu Mazumdar’s line popularised “land to the tiller” through Maoist-inspired revolutionary politics.

1. Expansion (1980s–2000s): The movement spread into tribal Fifth Schedule belts where weak administration, land alienation and forest control created deep state-society distrust.

Eg: The 2004 formation of CPI (Maoist) unified factions and intensified LWE across central India.

1. Peak and decline (2005–2014): Maoists built “liberated zones” and parallel systems, but coordinated state action gradually increased pressure through policing and development.

Eg: The Red Corridor expanded from AP to Jharkhand, yet large operations began shrinking safe havens.

1. Decisive rollback (2014 onwards): A unified security-development approach with permanent camps, roads and telecom broke Maoist mobility and recruitment networks in core areas.

Eg: Strongholds like Bastar and Dandakaranya saw sustained clearance and governance footprint expansion.

Initiatives taken to counter Naxalism:

1. Constitutional & governance measures:

1. • Fifth Schedule framework: It provides special governance for Scheduled Areas via Governor powers and Tribal Advisory Councils, aiming to prevent exploitation and land alienation.
   • PESA Act, 1996: It empowers Gram Sabhas to control local resources and consent processes, intended to deepen self-rule and reduce outsider domination.
   • Forest Rights Act, 2006: FRA recognises individual and community forest rights, correcting historical injustice and strengthening livelihood security for forest dwellers.

2. Development & welfare schemes:

1. • Infrastructure saturation: Roads, electricity and telecom reduce isolation, expand service delivery, and allow faster security response in remote interiors.
   • Financial inclusion: Banking access cuts cash dependence, enables DBT delivery, and reduces extortion and shadow-economy influence in affected blocks.
   • Skill and education push: Training and local employability reduce the recruitment pool by giving youth credible alternatives to insurgent networks.

3. Security & enforcement:

1. • Fortified policing: Permanent forward presence prevents Maoist re-occupation, improves area domination, and protects development works from disruption.
   • Financial choking: Seizures and attachments disrupt extortion channels, arms procurement and urban networks that sustain the insurgency ecosystem.
   • Surrender-cum-rehabilitation policy: Incentives, security guarantees and livelihoods convert cadres into stakeholders of peace and weaken local Maoist manpower.

Challenges to complete eradication:

1. Governance deficits persist: Courts, policing, health and schools remain thin in interiors, making the state visible mainly through coercion, not services.

Eg: Low tribal representation in permanent bureaucracy sustains “outsider rule” perceptions.

1. Weak implementation of rights laws: If FRA/PESA protections look negotiable, new displacement and distrust can re-create conditions for mobilisation.

Eg: Gram Sabha consent bypass in mining belts becomes a recurring grievance trigger.

1. Socio-economic vulnerability: Poverty, land disputes and insecure livelihoods keep communities susceptible to coercion, promises of justice, or rent-seeking networks.

Eg: Displacement around mineral corridors fuels long-term anger and instability.

1. Ideological residue and urban support: Even with territorial losses, propaganda, recruitment narratives and digital influence can persist and re-organise.

Eg: Online information warfare can revive legitimacy even when armed capability declines.

Way ahead

1. Governance-led consolidation: After security gains, the state must win trust through justice delivery, primary health, schools and grievance redress, not only patrols.

Eg: Fast-track courts and tribal health cadres can reduce everyday exploitation.

1. Deepen local self-rule: Real devolution of funds/functions to Gram Sabhas makes democracy meaningful and blocks the space for parallel “people’s courts.”

Eg: Adopt selective features of Sixth Schedule autonomy where contextually suitable.

1. Administrative indigenisation: Recruiting locals into police, revenue and frontline services improves legitimacy, language access and cultural sensitivity in governance.

Eg: Scaling the Bastariya Battalion model strengthens ownership of peace.

1. Protect rights-based laws: Enforceable consent, CFR recognition and transparent land processes prevent fresh alienation and pre-empt insurgent narratives.

Eg: Make Gram Sabha consent mandatory, time-bound, and auditable for projects.

Conclusion:

India has decisively broken the territorial and military backbone of Naxalism through a calibrated mix of security, development and rehabilitation. The next phase demands governance reform, justice delivery and tribal empowerment to prevent relapse. A post-Maoist India will succeed only when constitutional promises translate into lived realities in Fifth Schedule areas.

 

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Achievements of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in 2025

Source: PIB

Subject: Science and Technology

Context: The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) released its Year-Ender 2025, showcasing major milestones that strengthened biotechnology as a key pillar of India’s economic, health, agricultural and scientific growth.

• With the bio-economy crossing billion and new initiatives in genomics, biomanufacturing, health and agriculture, 2025 marked a decisive expansion.

About Achievements of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT) in 2025:

What is DBT

• The Department of Biotechnology, under the Ministry of Science & Technology, is the nodal body for policy, funding, regulation and ecosystem-building in biotechnology, spanning health, agriculture, industry, environment and frontier sciences, aligned with missions like Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India and Viksit Bharat.

Key achievements in 2025:

1. Bio-economy expansion:

• India’s bio-economy grew 16-fold in a decade, from billion (2014) to billion (2024), with a clear pathway to billion by 2030.
• India ranks 12th globally in biotech, 3rd in Asia-Pacific, and hosts the world’s largest vaccine manufacturing capacity.

2. National Biofoundry Network & BioE3 Policy:

• India’s first National Biofoundry Network launched with six biofoundries and a high-performance biomanufacturing platform.
• Implemented under the BioE3 Policy, focusing on APIs, smart proteins, precision biotherapeutics, climate-resilient agriculture, carbon capture and space-marine biotechnology.

3. GenomeIndia Project milestone:

• Launch of the Indian Genomic Data Set with 10,000 whole genome sequences made globally accessible.
• Operationalisation of FeED and Indian Biological Data Centre (IBDC) portals strengthened data-driven research and global collaboration.

4. Strengthening biomedical research talent:

• Biomedical Research Career Programme (BRCP) Phase-III approved with an outlay of ₹1,500 crore, ensuring long-term fellowships and grants.
• Reinforced India’s pipeline of high-quality biomedical researchers and clinician-scientists.

5. Breakthroughs in space biotechnology:

• India’s first human muscle stem-cell experiment on the ISS (Axiom-4) conducted.
• Validation of microalgae and cyanobacteria growth in microgravity, supporting future long-duration space missions and closed-loop life-support systems.

6. Health and biopharma innovations:

• National Biopharma Mission delivered ZyCoV-D and Corbevax vaccines, indigenous MRI scanner, biosimilars, diagnostics, ventilators and bioreactors.
• Advanced AI-enabled TB drug-resistance mapping, with 18,000 MTB isolates sequenced, strengthening the TB-Mukt Bharat mission.

7. Agricultural biotechnology advances:

• Gene-edited rice with 20% higher yield (DEP1 gene).
• Drought-resistant rice ‘Arun’, climate-resilient chickpea cultivars and transgene-free CRISPR-edited mustard with high glucoraphanin content.
• Strengthened food security under climate stress.

8. Startup, innovation and IP ecosystem:

• Expansion to 75 BioNEST Centres and 19 E-YUVA Centres.
• Support to 3,000+ startups, 1,300+ IP filings, and 800+ products nearing commercialisation, spreading biotech innovation beyond metros.

9. World-class research infrastructure:

• Commissioning of Animal BSL-3 Facility for Non-Human Primates, advanced Cryo-EM, stem-cell and imaging facilities.
• Nationwide access enabled through DBT-SAHAJ shared research platforms.

Major initiatives taken in 2025:

• Launch of D.E.S.I.G.N for BioE3 Challenge to empower youth innovators.
• DBT–IndiaAI MoU to integrate biotechnology with artificial intelligence.
• Regulatory reforms including Guidelines on Genetically Engineered Plants (Stacked Events), 2025.
• Centre-State partnerships through BioE3 Cells to align local strengths with national biomanufacturing goals.

Significance:

• Positions biotechnology as a strategic growth engine for India’s economy, health security and climate resilience.
• Strengthens technological sovereignty through indigenous vaccines, genomics, biomanufacturing and agri-biotech.
• Enhances India’s global leadership in affordable innovation, South-South cooperation and frontier science.

Conclusion:

The year 2025 marked a turning point for India’s biotechnology ecosystem, with DBT driving scale, depth and global relevance. From genomics to space biotech and from startups to sovereign health technologies, DBT anchored innovation to national priorities. Together, these achievements firmly position biotechnology as a pillar of India’s journey toward a Viksit Bharat by 2047.

 

 

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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 17 December 2025 Content for Mains Enrichment (CME)

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India–Jordan Joint Statement (2025)

Context: Prime Minister of India visit to Jordan marked 75 years of India–Jordan diplomatic relations, culminating in a joint statement outlining a roadmap for deeper bilateral cooperation.

About India–Jordan Joint Statement (2025):

Key highlights and outcomes:

1. Political cooperation: Commitment to sustained high-level engagements, regular political consultations and joint working groups; next round to be held in New Delhi.
2. Trade and economy: Bilateral trade at billion (2024); India is Jordan’s 3rd-largest trading partner; decision to convene the 11th Trade & Economic Joint Committee (2026).
3. Connectivity and logistics: Emphasis on leveraging Jordan’s strategic transit infrastructure to enhance regional and private-sector collaboration.
4. Digital & technology partnership: Letter of Intent to share India’s Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) experience; expansion of the India–Jordan IT Centre of Excellence in Amman.
5. Capacity building: Expansion of ITEC training slots from 35 to 50, strengthening human resource development.
6. Health & agriculture: Cooperation in telemedicine, training of health professionals, and fertiliser/phosphate collaboration to enhance food security.
7. Water & green cooperation: MoUs on water resources management (aquifer management, water-saving technologies) and renewable energy (joint research and training).
8. Cultural & people-to-people ties: Cultural Exchange Programme (2025–2029) and Petra–Ellora twinning to boost heritage cooperation and tourism.
9. Multilateral convergence: Jordan’s interest in joining Indian-led initiatives like the International Solar Alliance, CDRI and Global Biofuels Alliance.

Relevance in UPSC syllabus:

GS Paper II: International Relations

• Bilateral Relations: Illustrates India’s deepening engagement with West Asia/Middle East, aligned with India’s “Link West” and Neighbourhood beyond neighbourhood approach.

• Multilateral Cooperation: Jordan’s interest in ISA, CDRI and Global Biofuels Alliance highlights India’s leadership in shaping issue-based coalitions of the Global South.

GS Paper III: Economy & Infrastructure

• Trade & Connectivity: Bilateral trade, logistics cooperation and Jordan’s role as a regional transit hub link to topics on trade facilitation, supply chains and economic diplomacy.

 

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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 17 December 2025 Facts for Prelims (FFP)

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Makhana

Source: DD News

Subject: Economy

Context: Parliament was informed that India produces nearly 80% of the world’s makhana, reinforcing its global dominance in this niche agri-sector.

• The government has also set up the National Makhana Board and approved a ₹476.03 crore central scheme (2025–31) to boost value addition and exports.

About Makhana:

What it is?

• Makhana, also known as fox nut or gorgon nut, is the edible seed of Euryale ferox, an aquatic plant grown in ponds and wetlands. It is the only surviving species of the genus Euryale, valued for both nutrition and livelihood potential.

Regions where it is grown:

• Makhana is cultivated mainly in India, China and Japan, with India being the world’s largest producer.
• Bihar contributes ~85% of India’s output, with Darbhanga as a major cultivation and processing hub.

Key features:

• Aquatic crop: Grown in shallow ponds and wetlands, often integrated with fisheries.
• Labour-intensive: Provides employment to farmers and fisher communities.
• Versatile food item: Roasted or fried, used as snacks and in traditional dishes.

Significance:

• Economic livelihood: Enhances incomes of small farmers and fishermen, especially in eastern India.
• Nutrition security: Rich in protein, fibre and antioxidants, low glycaemic index, and heart-friendly.
• Export potential: Rising global demand for healthy snacks positions makhana as a niche export crop.
• Policy focus: The National Makhana Board and the ₹476.03 crore development scheme aim to improve productivity, processing, branding and global market access.

 

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AFMS launches India’s first AI-driven community screening programme for Diabetic Retinopathy

Source: PIB

Subject: Miscellaneous

Context: The Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) launched India’s first AI-driven community screening programme for Diabetic Retinopathy (DR).

• The initiative uses MadhuNetrAI, an AI platform, to enable early detection and referral of diabetic eye disease at the community level.

About AFMS launches India’s first AI-driven community screening programme for Diabetic Retinopathy:

What it is?

• A nation-first, AI-enabled community screening programme for Diabetic Retinopathy, rolled out by AFMS in collaboration with Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences (RPC), AIIMS, and the eHealth AI Unit, MoHFW.

Aim:

• Early detection and timely referral of Diabetic Retinopathy.
• Build real-time national health intelligence on DR prevalence and geography.
• Reduce preventable diabetes-related blindness through scalable screening.

Key features:

• AI-based screening & grading of retinal images captured via handheld fundus cameras.
• Community-level deployment by trained Medical Officers, nurses and health assistants.
• Automated triaging with referrals for vision-threatening DR to vitreo-retina specialists.
• Real-time dashboards for prevalence and geographic mapping to aid policy planning.
• Pilot across 7 diverse locations: Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Dharamshala, Gaya, Jorhat, Kochi.
• Integration with NCD programmes via district health administrations for continuity of care.

Significance:

• Public health impact: Tackles a major complication of diabetes with early, accessible screening.
• AI in healthcare: Demonstrates safe, practical integration of AI into routine public health systems.
• Equity & reach: Enables screening in rural, hilly, coastal and remote regions.

 

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The RESPOND Basket 2025

Source: ISRO

Subject: Science and Technology

Context: ISRO has released the RESPOND Basket 2025, inviting research proposals from academia aligned with its current and future mission needs.

About The RESPOND Basket 2025:

What it is?

• The RESPOND Basket is a curated set of mission-oriented research problem statements identified by ISRO and Department of Space (DoS) centres.
• It guides academia towards targeted research that directly supports ISRO’s upcoming space missions and R&D priorities.

Published by:

• Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)
• Under the aegis of the Department of Space (DoS), Government of India

Aim:

• To bridge academia and national space missions through focused, collaborative research.
• To leverage academic innovation, advanced research and human capital for solving complex space-technology challenges.

Key features:

• Mission-aligned problem statements: Derived from ISRO’s immediate and future programmatic requirements.
• Open to premier institutions: Universities and recognised academic and R&D institutions across India can apply.
• Technical orientation: ISRO scientists provide detailed technical briefings on expectations and outcomes.
• Digital submission: Proposals to be submitted through the I-GRASP portal.
• Interactive engagement: Enables two-way exchange between ISRO scientists and academic researchers.

Significance:

• Strengthens ISRO–academia partnership, a critical pillar of India’s space ecosystem.
• Ensures problem-driven research, reducing the gap between theory and mission deployment.
• Builds a future-ready talent pipeline for India’s expanding space programme.

 

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Param Vir Chakra (PVC)

Source: TH

Subject: Miscellaneous

Context: On Vijay Diwas 2025, President Droupadi Murmu inaugurated the ‘Param Vir Dirgha’ at Rashtrapati Bhavan, where portraits of all 21 Param Vir Chakra awardees were displayed.

• This replaced portraits of British Aide-de-Camps, symbolising India’s continued effort to shed colonial legacies.

About Param Vir Chakra (PVC):

• What it is?
  • The Param Vir Chakra is India’s highest military gallantry award, conferred for the most conspicuous bravery, valour, and supreme sacrifice in the presence of the enemy during wartime.
• Instituted in: 26 January 1950, coinciding with the enforcement of the Constitution of India.
• Key features:

• • Open to personnel of all ranks of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Army and other lawfully constituted armed forces.
  • Can be awarded posthumously; the majority of recipients have received it after martyrdom.
  • Comes with a monthly honorarium of ₹3,000, with an additional ₹3,000 for each bar awarded.

• Criteria for award:

• • Awarded only in wartime.
  • Recognises exceptional courage, indomitable spirit, and self-sacrifice in the face of the enemy.

• Winners so far:

• • 21 awardees till date.
  • 14 awarded posthumously.
  • Conferred across four major wars fought by India.

About Aide-de-Camps (ADCs):

• An Aide-de-Camp is a personal military officer attached to high constitutional authorities such as the President, Governors, or Chiefs of Services.
• Rank and background:

• • Typically, a Major (Army), Lieutenant Commander (Navy), or Squadron Leader (Air Force).

• Key functions:

• • Managing the daily schedule and official engagements of the dignitary.
  • Coordinating ceremonial duties, state visits, and protocol events.
  • Acting as a liaison between Rashtrapati Bhavan and civil or military authorities.
  • Assisting in protocol, coordination, and security arrangements.

 

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The Tianjin Declaration

Source: DD News

Subject: International Organisation

Context: At the 2025 Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Summit in Tianjin, India joined other SCO members in endorsing the Tianjin Declaration, committing to deepen cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance and capacity building.

About The Tianjin Declaration:

• What it is?
  • The Tianjin Declaration is the outcome document adopted by the SCO Council of Heads of States at the 2025 Tianjin Summit, outlining collective positions on security, development, technology, and institutional reforms.
• Key outcomes:

• • AI cooperation framework: Emphasised that all countries have equal rights to develop and use AI, aligning with the UN General Assembly resolution on AI capacity building.
  • Risk mitigation in AI: SCO members committed to improving security, accountability, transparency, inclusiveness, trustworthiness and fairness of AI systems.
  • Roadmap adoption: Supported implementation of the SCO AI Cooperation Roadmap to guide joint research, standards and capacity building.
  • Regional AI centre: Welcomed the UNGA resolution proposing a Regional AI Centre in Dushanbe, strengthening Central Asia’s digital ecosystem.

About Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO):

• What it is?
  • The SCO is a permanent intergovernmental organisation focused on regional security, economic cooperation and people-to-people ties across Eurasia.
• Established in: 15 June 2001, Shanghai (evolved from the Shanghai Five mechanism).
• Headquarters:

• • Secretariat: Beijing, China
  • RATS (Regional Anti-Terrorist Structure): Tashkent, Uzbekistan

• Members:

• • 10 Member States: India, China, Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Pakistan, Iran, Belarus
  • 2 Observer States: Afghanistan, Mongolia

• Aims:

• • Strengthen mutual trust, friendship and good-neighbourliness.
  • Promote cooperation in politics, security, economy, science & technology, energy, transport, culture and education.

• Key functions and mechanisms:

• • Security cooperation: Counter-terrorism, separatism and extremism through RATS.
  • Economic cooperation: Trade, connectivity, energy and infrastructure initiatives.
  • Technology & innovation: Growing focus on digital economy, cybersecurity and AI.
  • Decision-making bodies:
    • Council of Heads of States (CHS): supreme body
    • Council of Heads of Government (CHG): economic and budgetary matters
    • Council of National Coordinators: coordination mechanism
  • Official languages: Russian and Chinese.

 

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UPSC CURRENT AFFAIRS – 17 December 2025 Mapping:

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Tigris River

Source: TG

Subject: Mapping

Context: Iraq’s Tigris River is facing an acute crisis due to shrinking flows, heavy pollution and upstream water controls, raising fears that parts of the river may dry up.

About Tigris River:

What it is?

• The Tigris River is one of the two great rivers of ancient Mesopotamia, along with the Euphrates, forming the heart of the historic Fertile Crescent, where early civilisation emerged.

Origin of the river:

• Originates from Lake Hazar in the Taurus Mountains of southeastern Türkiye.
• Flows generally southeast, parallel to the Euphrates.

Nations it flows through: Türkiye (upper reaches), Iraq, Forms part of the Shatt al-Arab after joining the Euphrates, which flows into the Persian Gulf.

Major tributaries of the Tigris: Greater Zab, Lesser Zab, Al-Adhaim, Diyala, and Karkheh (from Iran).

Key features:

• Second-largest River in Western Asia.
• Supports irrigation in an otherwise arid and semi-arid climate.
• Used for drinking water, agriculture, transport, industry and hydropower.
• Hosts several dams for electricity generation and water storage.

Significance:

• Cradle of civilisation: Enabled the rise of early cities, agriculture, writing and technology in Mesopotamia.
• Economic lifeline: Backbone of Iraqi agriculture and food security.
• Cultural and religious importance: Sacred to communities like the Mandaeans, whose rituals require flowing river water.
• Geopolitical relevance: A transboundary river affected by upstream dams, climate change and regional water politics.

 

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