Current Affairs – December 19, 2025

{GS2 – Governance} Reports on Sexual Violence Against Children & Intimate Partner Violence

Context (TH | TH): A WHO report (2000–2023) has highlighted the persistent global crisis of intimate partner violence and non‑partner sexual violence.

The ‘Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study’ (1990-2023) released recently has linked sexual violence against children (SVAC) and intimate partner violence (IPV) to wider health loss.

Key Findings of the WHO Report

Prevalence: Nearly 1 in 3 women (estimated 840 million) worldwide have experienced partner or sexual violence during their lifetime.
Early Exposure: Almost a quarter of adolescent girls aged 15–19 have faced intimate partner violence.
Slow Decline: IPV decreased by just 0.2% each year, signalling very slow progress towards SDG 5.
Non‑Partner Violence: Around 8.4% of women aged 15-49 have faced non-partner sexual violence.
Funding Gap: Only 0.2% of global aid was allocated to programmes for preventing violence against women in 2022.
Regional Disparity: Women in least-developed, conflict-affected, and climate-vulnerable regions face disproportionately high levels of violence.
- Oceania’s IPV prevalence (38%) in the past year is more than three times the global average (11%).
India Prevalence: Nearly 30% of Indian women aged 15–49 experience IPV, exceeding the global average (25.8%); about 4% of women over 15 suffer sexual violence by non-partners.

SDG 5 aims to end all forms of violence against women & girls and achieve gender equality by 2030.

Key Findings of the GBD Study 2023

Prevalence: Over 1 billion people aged 15 and above experienced childhood sexual violence, while 608 million women faced IPV.
Risk Ranking: IPV and SVAC ranked as the fourth and fifth leading risk factors for the Disability-Adjusted Life Year (DALY) for women aged 15–49.

DALY is a standard measurement metric where one DALY equals one lost healthy year due to premature death or living with a disease or disability.

Health Burden: These forms of violence caused over 50 million DALYs globally, with a higher burden from childhood sexual violence.

Disease Linkages: IPV mainly causes anxiety and depression, while childhood sexual violence drives self-harm and schizophrenia burdens.
Mortality Impact: IPV led to 145,000 deaths globally, while SVAC was linked to 290,000 deaths.
Regional Concentration: The Highest prevalence of both was found in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, compounded by HIV and chronic disease burdens.

{GS2 – IR} PM Modi’s Visit to Oman **

Context (NOA): PM Narendra Modi visited Oman as the final leg of a three-nation tour after Jordan and Ethiopia.

Milestone: The visit coincided with the seventieth anniversary of India-Oman diplomatic relations.

Oman is an absolute monarchy located at the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders UAE, Saudi Arabia, & Yemen, with coastlines along the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, & Strait of Hormuz.

Key Outcome of the Visit

Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA)

Zero Duty: India and Oman signed CEPA, granting zero-duty access to 99% of India’s exports by value.
Investment: CEPA permits 100% FDI for Indian companies in Omani service sectors.
Mobility: It extends the permitted stay for Indian contractual service suppliers in Oman to two years.
Exclusions: India excluded sensitive products like dairy, gold, silver, tea, and coffee from the agreement.
AYUSH: Oman became the first country to recognise trade in AYUSH within its trade framework.

Other Outcomes

Maritime Vision: Both countries adopted a Joint Vision Document on Maritime Cooperation covering regional security and the blue economy.
Agri Framework: A framework agreement was signed for cooperation in agricultural science, animal husbandry, and irrigation systems.
- Millet: India signed an Executive Programme to share its expertise in millet cultivation.
Maritime Heritage: An MoU was signed to support maritime heritage museums and facilitate the exchange of artefacts.
Civilian Honour: PM Modi received the First Class of the Order of Oman, the country’s highest civilian award.

India-Oman Bilateral Relationship

Partnership: India and Oman established a Strategic Partnership in 2008, and 2025 marks seventy years of diplomatic relations.
Trade: Bilateral trade reached $10 billion in 2024-25, with the trade balance favouring Oman.
Fertiliser: Oman India Fertiliser Company is a flagship joint venture exporting urea to India.
Defence: Oman is the only Gulf country with which India conducts tri-service military exercises.
Strategic: Access to Duqm Port provides India with military logistics support and operational reach.
Diaspora: Around 7 lakh Indians in Oman contribute ~$2 billion annually in remittances.

Read More> India-Oman Relations

{GS2 – IR} Implications of U.S. National Security Strategy for India

Context (TH | TH): The recently published U.S. National Security Strategy 2025 marks a decisive shift in the strategic outlook and security priorities of the United States.

About the 2025 National Security Strategy (NSS)

The NSS is a policy document that codifies the “America First” doctrine as Sovereign Realism.
Alliances are treated as transactional arrangements based on mutual benefit and burden sharing.
It mandates re-industrialisation and decoupling critical supply chains from China.
U.S. strategic priorities are reordered, placing the Western Hemisphere above all other regions.

India is elevated to the “Core 5” (C5) group of global powers alongside the U.S, China, Russia, and Japan.
NSS positions India as the primary counterweight to China in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region.
Indian naval operations are encouraged to expand beyond their neighbourhood into the Indo-Pacific.
Quad is maintained for surveillance and logistics, without evolving into a NATO-style defence alliance.
India is designated as a priority partner for “friend-shoring” supply chains to reduce reliance on China.

Strategic Reorientation of India-US Partnership

The relationship is redefined from a “values-based alliance” to a “transactional partnership“
It recognises India as a pole in a multipolar world, beyond the previous ‘Major Defence Partner’ label.
Security cooperation is now linked to trade reciprocity, exchanging defence technology for lower tariffs.
2025 NSS ends the US role as the sole primary security provider, expecting partners like India to assume regional security responsibilities.

Read More> India-US Relations

{GS3 – IE} Securities Markets Code Bill, 2025 **

Context (DD): The Union Government has introduced the Securities Markets Code Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha to consolidate multiple legacy laws into a single, principle-based code.

India’s securities regulation is currently governed by three separate laws: the SEBI Act, 1992, the Depositories Act, 1996, and the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956.

Key Objectives of the Bill

Legal Consolidation: Replace three separate Acts with a single unified statutory framework.
Investor Protection: Strengthen safeguards, grievance redressal and investor confidence.
Capital Mobilisation: Facilitate broader participation & efficient fundraising for a growing economy.
Regulatory Efficiency: Reduce compliance burden through simplified, principle-based regulation.

Key Provisions of Securities Markets Code

Stronger SEBI Governance: SEBI Board strength expanded from 9 to up to 15 (Chairperson, 2 Central Government nominees, 1 RBI nominee (ex officio), and 11 members (minimum five whole-time members).
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: Mandatory disclosure of direct or indirect interests by board members.
Consultative Rule-Making: Introduces a transparent process for the issuance of subordinate legislation.
Streamlined Enforcement: Single adjudication process for quasi-judicial actions with clear timelines for investigation and interim orders, ensuring regulatory certainty.
Grievance Redressal: Creation of an Ombudsperson to address investor complaints.
Regulatory Sandbox: Empowers SEBI to promote innovation in financial products and services.
Inter-Regulatory Coordination: Enables seamless listing and regulation of instruments overseen by multiple financial regulators.
Decriminalisation of Minor Offences:
- Category I: Only civil penalties for fraudulent or unfair trade practices.
- Category II: Civil and criminal penalties for market abuse and serious violations harming market integrity and public interest.

Potential Concerns of the Securities Markets Code

Over-Centralisation: Consolidation of three Acts increases SEBI’s powers; globally, excessive regulator concentration has raised accountability concerns. E.g., UK FCA faced criticism post-2012 reforms.
Transition Uncertainty: Migration from three legacy laws to a single Code may cause short-term compliance ambiguity; past reforms like GST rollout saw initial litigation spikes of over 30%.
Investor Protection Risks: Decriminalisation of minor offences could weaken deterrence.
Enforcement Capacity Strain: Number of cases pending before the Securities Appellate Tribunal (SAT) jumped to 1,121 in 2024 from 736 in 2023, with 1,105 of those being appeals against SEBI orders.

Way Forward

Phased Rollout: Implement the Code in stages with transition guidelines; similar phased adoption helped Australia’s Corporations Act reforms stabilise markets.
Clear Rulemaking: Issue detailed subordinate regulations early; India’s Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code gained predictability through timely regulations and circulars.
Capacity Strengthening: Enhance SEBI staffing and tech tools; Singapore’s Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) invests heavily in reg-tech for faster enforcement.
Investor Safeguards: Balance decriminalisation with strict civil penalties.
Judicial Alignment: Strengthen coordination with appellate tribunals; fast-track securities cases like specialised commercial courts under India’s Commercial Courts Act.

{GS3 – Infra} Freight Diversification in Indian Railways

Context (IE): A Parliamentary Standing Committee on Railways has urged Indian Railways to diversify its freight basket beyond bulk commodities to ensure sustainable freight growth.

Necessity of Freight Diversification

Coal Dependence Risk: Coal alone accounts for ~50% of freight loading (823 MT of 1,617 MT in 2024–25), but revenue growth from coal is slowing, exposing Railways to demand shocks.
Low Modal Share: Railways carry only ~27% of India’s total freight, despite being cheaper and greener.
Sustainability Imperative: Freight shift from road to rail can cut logistics costs (currently ~14% of GDP).
Efficiency: Average freight speed on DFCs is 37 km/h, compared to 23.8 km/h on conventional tracks.

Challenges in Freight Diversification

Tariff Inflexibility: Freight tariffs remain relatively rigid; road transport captures time-sensitive cargo.
Weak Private Participation: High capital costs deter PPPs; the Sonnagar–Dankuni DFC PPP failed due to uncertain returns, slowing terminal and service innovation needed for diversification.
Last-Mile Connectivity Gaps: Many industrial clusters lack rail sidings; as a result, road dominates first- and last-mile movement, discouraging firms from shifting to rail.
Market Awareness Deficit: Railways historically focused on bulk freight; despite freight demand projected at 6,017 MT (National Rail Plan 2025), diversified cargo strategies remain underdeveloped.

Way Forward

Freight Diversification: Target automobiles, FMCG and e-commerce through specialised wagons and scheduled freight services; E.g., Automobile Freight Train Operators scheme.
Crew Augmentation: Fast-track recruitment, training and redeployment of loco pilots and guards.
Terminal Integration: Develop multi-modal logistics parks and private freight terminals to solve last-mile gaps; e.g. PM Gati Shakti-linked logistics hubs.
PPP Recalibration: De-risk private participation via viability gap funding and assured traffic commitments, learning from Japan’s freight corridor models.
Technology Upgrade: Use digital freight management, real-time tracking and AI-based scheduling to improve reliability and customer confidence.

{GS3 – Envi} Protection Measures for the Aravalli Hills **

Context (TH): The Supreme Court has recently defined uniform criteria for the Aravalli ‘hills’ and ‘ranges’ and suspended the grant of new mining leases.

Recent Supreme Court Rulings on the Aravalli Range

New Technical Definitions

Hill Criteria: An Aravalli hill is any landform rising 100 meters or above its immediate local relief.
Range Criteria: An Aravalli range is defined as a cluster of two or more such hills within 500 metres.

Mining Restrictions

Mining Ban: The Court imposed an immediate ban on granting new mining leases.
MPSM: The Centre must prepare a Management Plan for Sustainable Mining before permitting future mining activity.

Prohibition and Safeguards

Aquifer Safeguard: Any mine that reaches the groundwater level must be closed immediately
Protected Zones: Mining is prohibited in tiger reserves, wildlife corridors, & aquifer recharge zones.

Significance of the Aravalli Range

Great Green Wall: The Aravalli range prevents eastward expansion of the Thar Desert by blocking dust-laden desert winds.
Monsoon Regulator: It guides southwest monsoon clouds eastward toward the Himalayas, ensuring rainfall across North India.
Winter Shield: In winter, the range protects fertile northern plains from cold westerly winds originating in Central Asia.
Green Lungs: Aravalli forests act as green lungs for Delhi-NCR by absorbing carbon dioxide and trapping PM2.5 pollutants.
Aquifer Recharge: Fractured and weathered Aravalli rocks allow rainwater percolation, enabling recharge of underground aquifers.
Mineral Wealth: The range contains copper, lead, zinc, silver, and high-quality Makrana marble deposits.
River Source: Several rivers originate in the Aravallis, including Luni, Banas, and Sabarmati.

About the Aravalli Range

The Aravalli range is among the world’s oldest living mountain systems and the geological spine of northwest India.
Mountain Type: It is an ancient fold mountain range now eroded into residual hills with average elevations of 300-900 metres.
Geographic Extent: It stretches about 692 km from Champaner in Gujarat, through Rajasthan and Haryana, to Raisina Hill in Delhi.
Highest Peak: Guru Shikhar, at 1,722 metres on Mount Abu in Rajasthan, is the highest point.
Drainage Divide: A hidden Aravalli limb from Delhi to Haridwar separates the drainage basins of the Ganga and Indus rivers.

{GS3 – S&T} India’s Rapid AI Adoption Boom **

Context (DD): Bank of America (BofA) has identified India as the world’s largest and most active market for Large Language Model (LLM) adoption.

India is leading globally in monthly and daily active users of AI applications like ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.

Why India Has Emerged as the Largest AI Adoption Market?

Digital Scale: India has 700–750 million mobile internet users, making it the second-largest online population globally, providing unmatched scale for AI diffusion.
Affordable Data Access: Ultra-low data costs allow 20–30 GB/month for about $2, sharply reducing entry barriers for compute- and data-intensive AI applications.
Demographic Advantage: Over 60% of Indian internet users are below 35 years, a tech-curious cohort that rapidly experiments with and integrates new digital tools.
Multilingual Edge: A large English-speaking base, combined with AI models now available in Indian languages, accelerates both global AI use and local inclusion.
Telecom-Led Push: Telcos like Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel are bundling premium AI subscriptions with data plans, expanding adoption beyond early adopters.

Strategic Significance for India

AI Power Shift: India’s role is evolving from a back-end IT services hub to a frontline AI consumption and experimentation market.
Policy Opportunity: High adoption creates scope for responsible AI governance, indigenous model development and AI-skilled workforce expansion.
Next-Gen AI Applications: BofA highlights India’s suitability for agentic AI systems that can reason, plan and execute tasks autonomously.
Innovation Testbed: India’s diversity makes it an ideal real-world stress-testing ground for new AI models before global deployment.
Democratisation of AI: Low-cost access enables students, gig workers and MSMEs to use advanced AI tools, narrowing digital and productivity gaps.

Read More > AI for Viksit Bharat

{Prelims – IR} China Wireless Freight Trains

Context (BS | IE): China became the first country to successfully operate seven heavy-haul freight trains as a single coordinated unit without physical coupling.

Wireless Control System: A domestically developed system replaced mechanical couplers with virtual coupling using a two-dimensional control mode.
Two-Dimensional Control: The system integrated relative speed control with absolute distance monitoring to maintain close, safe spacing.
Virtual Coupling: It enabled separate freight units operated as one group train, accelerating and braking simultaneously to prevent collisions or separation.
Real-Time Communication: Continuous train-to-train and train-to-ground data exchange enabled coordinated multi-train manoeuvres.

Significance

Capacity Gain: The system can raise railway freight capacity by over 50% without laying new tracks.
Operational Efficiency: It enables faster movement of larger cargo volumes, improving cost efficiency and reducing energy use in heavy-haul transport.
Global Leadership: China positions its system as a scalable technical solution for heavy-haul railways in constrained or developing regions.

{Prelims – IR} India Assumes BRICS Presidency for 2026 *

Context (TH): Brazil formally handed over the 18^th BRICS Presidency to India for the year 2026.

Leadership Vision: Prime Minister Narendra Modi has proposed a shift toward a people-centric ‘humanity-first approach’ for the upcoming session.

About BRICS

BRICS is an informal grouping of major emerging economies; the term “BRIC” was coined by economist Jim O’Neill in 2001.
The first BRIC summit was held in 2009; South Africa joined in 2010, changing the acronym to BRICS.
Expansion: The grouping included Egypt, Ethiopia, Iran, and the UAE in 2024, and Indonesia became the 10^th full member in 2025.
Key Focus: To promote a more equitable, multipolar world order by strengthening Global South cooperation and representation.
Chairmanship: The BRICS presidency rotates annually in alphabetical order of the acronym “BRICS”.
Key Initiatives: The New Development Bank (NDB) for infrastructure financing, the Contingent Reserve Arrangement for liquidity support, and BRICS PAY for blockchain-based local-currency payments.

{Prelims – Species} Black-Capped Capuchin (Sapajus apella)

Context (TH): Bannerghatta Biological Park in Karnataka imported eight black-capped capuchin monkeys from South Africa under an exchange programme.

About Black-capped capuchin (Sapajus apella)

The black-capped capuchin, or tufted capuchin, is a New World monkey native to the Amazon Basin.
Appearance: It has light brown fur with a distinctive dark fur cap on the head.
Distribution: The species is widely distributed across South America, including Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela.
Habitat Range: It thrives in moist tropical, subtropical, and disturbed or secondary forests across the Amazon Basin.
Behaviour: the capuchins are diurnal, primarily arboreal, and highly social animals living in groups of 10-30 individuals
Ecological Role: They act as seed dispersers and help control potential pest populations.
Conservation Status: IUCN: Least Concern; CITES: Appendix II.

{Prelims – S&T} DHRUV64 Microprocessor *

Context (TH | PIB): The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has unveiled DHRUV64, India’s first fully indigenous 64-bit microprocessor.

It is a 1.0 GHz, 64-bit, dual-core microprocessor based on RISC-V open-source architecture.
The Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC) developed it under the Microprocessor Development Programme (MDP).
DHRUV64 is the third processor fabricated under the Digital India RISC-V (DIR-V) programme after THEJAS32 and THEJAS64.
Applications: The processor is suitable for 5G infrastructure, automotive systems, industrial automation, consumer electronics, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices.
Significance: It marks a significant milestone in India’s pursuit of self-reliance in advanced chip design under Atmanirbhar Bharat.

Microprocessor: An integrated circuit that serves as the central processing unit (CPU) of electronic systems. It acts as the brain of modern electronic devices.
- India is currently working on ‘Dhanush’ and ‘Dhanush+’ processors.
DIR-V Program: It is a national initiative launched by the MeitY to make India a global hub for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM).
RISC-V: It is a license-free architecture that provides instructions for chip design, enabling cost-effective innovation by industry, startups, and research institutions.

{Prelims – In News} Goa Liberation Day

Context (DDN): Goa marked its 64^th Liberation Day on 19 December 2025.

The day commemorates Operation Vijay, which ended nearly 450 years of Portuguese colonial rule.

Goa’s Freedom Struggle

Goa became a Portuguese colony in 1510 under Admiral Afonso de Albuquerque.
Early Resistance: Organised nationalist sentiment emerged in the early 20^th century; Tristão de Bragança Cunha (Father of Goan Nationalism) founded the Goa National Congress in 1928.
Civil Liberties Movement: Dr Ram Manohar Lohia defied a ban on public meetings in Margao on June 18, 1946; the day is now celebrated as Goa Revolution Day.
Diplomatic Deadlock: The Government of India’s diplomatic efforts between 1947 and 1961 failed to secure Goa’s liberation through peaceful means.
Operation Vijay: India launched a coordinated Army–Navy–Air Force operation on 18 December 1961.
- Portuguese Governor-General Manuel António Vassalo e Silva surrendered on 19 December 1961, liberating Goa, Daman and Diu from Portuguese rule.
Integration: Goa was incorporated as the Union Territory of Goa, Daman and Diu under the 12^th Constitutional Amendment Act, 1962 and attained full statehood in 1987