Table of Contents

1. POLITY AND GOVERNANCE ________________ 3 3.12.7. World Bank Released Annual International Debt
1.1. One Nation, One Election Bill ______________ 3 Report (IDR) 2024 _____________________________ 48
1.2. Atrocities against Scheduled Castes _________ 5 3.12.8. Tax Justice Network Released ‘State of Tax Justice
2024’ Report _________________________________ 48
1.3. Bharatiya Vayuyan Vidheyak, 2024 _________ 6
3.12.9. Global Wage Report released by ILO ________ 49
1.4. Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) _____________ 9 3.12.10. Windfall Tax __________________________ 50
1.5. News in Shorts _________________________ 10 3.12.11. Atmanirbhar Clean Plant Programme (CPP)__ 50
1.5.1. Process For Removal of Rajya Sabha Chairperson 3.12.12. RBI Increases Limit for Collateral-Free
___________________________________________ 10 Agricultural Loan ______________________________ 51
1.5.2. SC Guidelines on Mercy Petition ____________ 10 3.12.13. Credit Guarantee Scheme for e-NWR based
1.5.3. e-Courts Mission Mode Project Phase III______ 10 Pledge Financing (CGS-NPF) Launched _____________ 51
1.5.4. Amrit Gyaan Kosh Portal __________________ 11 3.12.14. Kisan Pehchan Patra ____________________ 52
1.5.5. E-Daakhil portal _________________________ 11 3.12.15. Kisan Kavach __________________________ 52
1.5.6. The Boilers Bill, 2024 Passed in the Rajya Sabha 11 3.12.16. Initiative for Reshaping Supply Chains Of Fashion
2. INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS ______________ 13 And Construction Sectors _______________________ 52
2.1. India-Sri Lanka relations _________________ 13 3.12.17. SMILE Program ________________________ 53
2.2. India-Bhutan relations ___________________ 15 3.12.18. National Legal Metrology Portal (eMaap) ___ 53
2.3. India-Kuwait Relations __________________ 17 3.12.19. Merchant Shipping Bill, 2024 _____________ 53
2.4. Trade Weaponisation ___________________ 19 3.12.20. Coastal Shipping Bill, 2024 introduced in the Lok
2.5. News in Shorts _________________________ 21 Sabha_______________________________________ 54
2.5.1. UK Joins CPTPP __________________________ 21 3.12.21. ‘Jalvahak’ Scheme to boost Inland Waterways 54
2.5.2. Nepal and China Signed BRI Cooperation 3.12.22. Network Readiness Index (NRI) 2024 _______ 55
Framework __________________________________ 22 3.12.23. First Ever Auction of Minerals in Offshore Areas
2.5.3. Phewa Dialogue _________________________ 22 ___________________________________________ 55
2.5.4. Indian Chemical Council Wins OPCW-The Hague 4. SECURITY _____________________________ 57
Award ______________________________________ 22 4.1. National Investigation Agency (NIA) _______ 57
2.5.5. United Nations Disengagement Observer Force 4.2. United Nations Convention on Cybercrime __ 58
(UNDOF) ____________________________________ 23 4.3. Smuggling in India Report 2023-24 ________ 60
2.5.6. “Crossroads of Peace” Initiative ____________ 23 4.4. News in Shorts _________________________ 62
2.5.7. Kerch Strait_____________________________ 24 4.4.1. United Nations Peacebuilding Commission ____ 62
3. ECONOMY ____________________________ 25 4.4.2. Kaveri Engine ___________________________ 62
3.1. State Finances _________________________ 25 4.4.3. ‘Satan 2’ _______________________________ 62
3.2. GDP Base Year Revision __________________ 27 4.4.4. Search and Rescue Aid Tool (SARAT) _________ 62
3.3. Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) ___________ 29 4.4.5. Exercises in News ________________________ 63
3.4. The Banking Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2024 __ 32 5. ENVIRONMENT ________________________ 64
3.5. Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Framework in 5.1. India State of Forest Report (ISFR) 2023 ____ 64
India _____________________________________ 33 5.2. Sacred Groves _________________________ 66
3.6. Most-Favoured-Nation Clause ____________ 35 5.3. River Linking Project ____________________ 69
3.6.1. Investment Facilitation for Development 5.4. Draft Solid Waste Management Rules, 2024 _ 71
Agreement (IFDA) ____________________________ 37 5.5. Urban Air Pollution _____________________ 73
3.7. mBridge Project ________________________ 38 5.6. News in Shorts _________________________ 76
3.8. Railways Reforms_______________________ 40 5.6.1. IPBES Nexus Assessment Report ____________ 76
3.9. Tourism Sector in India __________________ 41 5.6.2. Global Status of Salt-Affected Soils report by FAO
3.10. Insurance Sector in India ________________ 43 ___________________________________________ 77
3.11. Oilfields (Regulation and Development) 5.6.3. Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing
Countries for Decade 2024-2034 _________________ 77
Amendment Bill, 2024 ______________________ 45
5.6.4. Business4Land Initiative ___________________ 78
3.12. News in Shorts ________________________ 46 5.6.5. Plastic Pollution Treaty Negotiations Adjourn In
3.12.1. 55th GST Council meeting _________________ 46 Busan, South Korea ____________________________ 78
3.12.2. All-India House Price Index (HPI) ___________ 47 5.6.6. Champions of Earth Award, 2024 ____________ 79
3.12.3. Consumer Confidence Survey (CCS) ________ 47 5.6.7. Amendment to ALMM Order, 2019 __________ 79
3.12.4. SFBs to extend Credit Line through UPI______ 47 5.6.8. Corporate Average Fuel Efficiency (I) norms ___ 79
3.12.5. Unified Payments Interface (UPI) Lite _______ 48 5.6.9. India Launched The World’s First Green Steel
3.12.6. Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) _________ 48 Taxonomy ___________________________________ 80

1 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS

 5.6.10. India Conducts First-Ever Ganges River Dolphin 7.6.2. Axiom Mission 4 (AX-4)___________________ 108
Tagging In Assam _____________________________ 80 7.6.3. Dark Comet ____________________________ 108
5.6.11. Ratapani Wildlife Sanctuary Declared As Tiger 7.6.4. FSSAI Issues Advisory for E-commerce Food
Reserve _____________________________________ 81 Business Operators (FBOs) _____________________ 109
5.6.12. Madhav National Park ___________________ 82 7.6.5. High Risk Food _________________________ 109
5.6.13. Sponge City ___________________________ 82 7.6.6. Notifiable Disease _______________________ 109
5.6.14. Denali Fault ___________________________ 82 7.6.7. World Malaria Report 2024 _______________ 109
5.6.15. Kilauea Volcano ________________________ 83 7.6.8. Nanoplastics as Agents of Antibiotic Resistance 110
6. SOCIAL ISSUES _________________________ 84 7.6.9. Extrachromosomal DNA (ecDNA) ___________ 111
6.1. Digital Content Creators (DCC) ____________ 84 7.6.10. Marburg Virus Disease __________________ 111
6.2. Social Media Addiction in Children _________ 85 7.6.11. Diamond Battery_______________________ 111
7.6.12. Milkweed Fiber ________________________ 111
6.3. Manual Scavenging _____________________ 88
7.6.13. Bio-Bitumen __________________________ 112
6.4. Female Labor Force Participation in India ___ 89
8. CULTURE _____________________________ 113
6.5. News in Shorts _________________________ 91
6.5.1. South Korea Becomes ‘Super-Aged’ Society ___ 91 8.1. Communist Party of India _______________ 113
6.5.2. JJM and Women empowerment ____________ 92 8.2. News in Shorts ________________________ 115
6.5.3. Global One-Stop Centres (OSC) _____________ 93 8.2.1. Geographical Indication (GI) Tag ___________ 115
6.5.4. Bal Vivah Mukt Bharat Campaign Launched ___ 93 8.2.2. 1924 Belgaum Congress Session ___________ 115
6.5.5. Domestic Migration Report by EAC-PM ______ 94 8.2.3. Indira Gandhi Prize ______________________ 115
6.5.6. ‘Right to Disconnect’ in India _______________ 94 8.2.4. Sahitya Akademi ________________________ 116
6.5.7. Global Report on Trafficking in Persons 2024 __ 95 9. ETHICS _______________________________ 117
6.5.8. No Detention Policy ______________________ 95 9.1. Indic Idea of Good Governance __________ 117
6.5.9. WFP Global Outlook for 2025 ______________ 96 9.2. Aspects of Peace ______________________ 118
6.5.10. Anna Chakra Tool _______________________ 97 9.3. Concept of Liberty _____________________ 120
7. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY ______________ 98 9.4. Personality In Focus: Shri Tulsi Gowda (1944-
7.1. CE20 Cryogenic Engine ___________________ 98 2024) ___________________________________ 123
7.2. Quantum Chip ________________________ 100 10. SCHEMES IN NEWS ____________________ 125
7.3. Hyperloop ____________________________ 101 10.1. Samarth (Scheme for Capacity Building in
7.4. 10 Years of Ministry of Ayush ____________ 103 Textiles Sector) ___________________________ 125
7.5. Rare Diseases _________________________ 105 11. Places In News _______________________ 127
7.6. News in Shorts ________________________ 107 12. Personalities in News __________________ 128
7.6.1. ISRO Launches Proba-3 Satellites __________ 107

2 www.visionias.in ©Vision IAS