Current Affairs – December 21, 2025

{GS1 – IS} Live-in Relations in India **

Context (IE): Recently, the Allahabad High Court ruled that couples in live-in relationships cannot be denied state protection due to their unmarried status.

Key Observations of the Allahabad High Court

Constitutional Morality: The Court prioritised constitutional morality over societal norms while interpreting the right to life.
Right to Choice: Individuals, upon attaining majority, are free to choose where & with whom to live.
Obligation: The State is constitutionally bound under Article 21 to protect citizens’ life and liberty.

Status of Live-in Relationships in India

Legal Position: Live-in relationships are legally recognised by courts but remain uncodified under any specific statute.
Article 21: The Supreme Court recognises adult choice of partner and cohabitation as part of the Fundamental Right to Life and Personal Liberty.
Criminal Law: Consensual cohabitation between unmarried adults does not constitute any criminal offence in India.

Statutory Framework

Legal Recognition: The Domestic Violence Act, 2005, grants legal status to relationships “in the nature of marriage.”
- Available Remedies: Women in such relationships can seek protection orders, residence rights, and maintenance.
Marriage Presumption: The Bharatiya Sakshya Adhiniyam, 2023, presumes long-term cohabitation as a valid marriage, unless disproved.
Maintenance Protection: Section 125 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita is judicially interpreted to include women in long-term live-in relationships.

Rights of Children and Inheritance

Child Legitimacy: Courts treat children born from long-term live-in relationships as legitimate.
Property Rights: Such children can inherit their parents’ self-acquired property under succession laws.
Partner Rights: Live-in partners have no automatic inheritance rights without a will or joint ownership.

Judicial Criteria for ‘Marriage-Like’ Live-in Relationships

Judicial Framework: In Indra Sarma v. V.K.V. Sarma, the Supreme Court defined criteria for recognising live-in relationships under the Domestic Violence Act, 2005.
Recognition Test: The Court identified eight indicators, including long duration, shared household, financial interdependence, domestic sharing, and sexual relationship.
Exclusion Rule: The framework excludes women who knowingly enter a relationship with an already married man.

{GS2 – Governance} From Licence Raj to Jan Vishwas Siddhant

Context (IE): The proposed ‘Jan Vishwas’ framework signals a shift from control-oriented regulation to trust-based governance to promote entrepreneurship and create mass employment.

Jan Vishwas Siddhant refers to a transformational reform, formalised through the Jan Vishwas Act, 2023 and the proposed 2025 Bill, aimed at promoting entrepreneurship.

Structural Constraints of India’s Regulatory Framework

Prior Approvals: The need for several discretionary permissions, NOCs, and licenses, as a legacy of License Raj, encouraging corruption and suppressing innovation.
Instrument Proliferation: Multiple circulars, guidelines, SOPs, FAQs, and office orders beyond Acts and Rules prolong delay and create uncertainty.
Compliance Blind Spot: Policymakers overlook cumulative compliance burden; India had over 69,000 compliances in early 2025, though labour codes showed up to 75% rationalisation is possible.
Over-Enforcement: Regulatory ambition often exceeds state capacity, resulting in selective enforcement and rent-seeking.
Process as Punishment: Criminal penalties for minor technical errors clog courts; cheque-bounce cases alone form nearly 10% of pendency.
Fragmented Information: Absence of a single, unified compliance database creates opacity and compliance anxiety for businesses.

Reform Proposals of Jan Vishwas Siddhant

Trust-Based Regulation: Adopt an “everything permitted unless prohibited” approach with perpetual self-registration except in security, safety, health, and environment.
Decriminalisation: Replace imprisonment for minor, non-fraudulent offences with proportionate civil penalties across central Acts.
Predictable Rules: Mandate public consultations and transition periods for new rules and eliminate compliance with non-law instruments.
Digital Compliance: Promote digital-first processes, unified business identity, and a single legal repository for all rules through the IndiaCode platform.
Regulatory Review: Introduce annual regulatory impact assessments by ministries, reporting compliance and punishment outcomes.

{GS3 – Envi} BS-VI Enforcement amid Severe AQI

Context (IE): The Delhi government restricted the entry of private and commercial vehicles registered outside Delhi that do not meet BS-VI emission standards.

The measure followed “Severe Plus” air quality levels under Stage IV of Graded Response Action Plan.

About Bharat Stage VI

Emission Standard: Bharat Stage VI is India’s current vehicle emission norm, modelled on European Euro 6 standards.
Implementation: India skipped BS-V and implemented BS-VI for all new vehicles from 1 April 2020.

Emission Reduction

Sulphur: BS-VI fuel mandates a sulphur content of 10 ppm, compared to 50 ppm under BS-IV.
NOx: It sets nitrogen oxide ceilings of 60 mg/km for petrol engines and 80 mg/km for diesel.
PM: Particulate matter emissions from diesel vehicles are restricted to 4.5 mg/km.

Mandatory Technologies

SCR System: Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) converts diesel nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water using aqueous urea solution AdBlue.
DPF Filter: Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF) traps soot particles and periodically oxidises them to control exhaust particulate emissions.
OBD System: On-Board Diagnostics II continuously monitors emission performance and alerts drivers about system malfunctions.
Fuel Injection: Two-wheelers shifted to Electronic Fuel Injection for better fuel efficiency.

About Bharat Stage VI Stage-II

Stage II: BS-VI Stage II introduced stricter emission compliance for all new vehicles from April 2023.
RDE Testing: Vehicles must meet emission limits during real-world driving on public roads, beyond laboratory testing conditions.
- PEMS Use: Portable Emission Measurement Systems measure tailpipe emissions under actual driving conditions.
OBD-II B: Advanced OBD-II(B) systems provide real-time emission monitoring and immediate malfunction alerts.
E20 Compatibility: All new vehicles must support 20% ethanol-blended petrol under the national Ethanol Blending Programme (EBP).

Achievements of Bharat Stage VI

Tailpipe Emission: BS-VI norms reduced NOx emissions by 70% and particulate matter by 80%.
Fuel Purity: It achieved an immediate 80% reduction in sulphur content in the fuel supply chain.
Air Quality: Indian cities recorded a 25% reduction in particulate matter levels during 2019-2024.
Compliance: Vehicles now follow a tighter conformity factor, limiting real-world exceedance above laboratory values.
Decoupling: Pollution growth remained contained despite passenger vehicle sales reaching a record 4.3 million units in 2024-25.

Challenges with Bharat Stage VI

Cost Impact: Stage-II transition increased vehicle prices by ₹30,000 for petrol & ₹1 lakh for diesel.
Diesel Decline: High compliance costs pushed manufacturers to exit small diesel engines; diesel share in passenger vehicles fell from 58% in 2012 to 19% by 2025.
DPF Issues: Diesel owners frequently report DPF clogging, which increases maintenance frequency and ownership costs.
E20 Concerns: Mandatory 20% ethanol blending raises durability concerns, as nearly 95% of pre-2020 vehicles lack full compatibility.
Supply Gaps: Limited rural availability of AdBlue & ultra-low-sulphur fuel creates logistical challenges.

Read More> Controlling Air Pollution

{Prelims – A&C} Project Mausam *

Context (PIB): The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) organised a National Workshop on Project Mausam in New Delhi to gather stakeholder inputs.

Project Mausam is a cultural and maritime heritage initiative of the Government of India, launched in 2014 under the Ministry of Culture.
Nodal Agencies: The ASI leads the project with research support from the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts (IGNCA) and the National Museum.
Objective: To revive historic maritime and economic ties among 39 Indian Ocean rim countries that were once linked by monsoon-enabled trade routes.
Scope: It documents cultural, commercial, and religious interactions of the Indian Ocean world using archaeological and historical research.
Major Goal: To inscribe places and sites identified under the project as a transnational mixed Route for the UNESCO World Heritage List.

{Prelims – Eco} Anti-Dumping Duty on Chinese Steel Imports

Context (RE): India imposed anti-dumping duties on cold-rolled steel from China for five years.

Reasons for Imposing Anti-Dumping Duty on China

Unfair Pricing Practices: Chinese producers were found exporting cold-rolled steel to India at prices significantly below normal value, constituting dumping and distorting fair competition.
Injury to Domestic Industry: Persistent low-priced imports led to declining capacity utilisation, suppressed prices, and reduced profitability for Indian steel manufacturers.
Strategic Sector Protection: Steel is a core infrastructure and manufacturing input; safeguarding it is essential for construction, automobiles, defence, and capital goods.

Anti-Dumping Duty

Dumping: Dumping is an unfair trade practice where a country or company exports a product at a price lower than its domestic price or below its average production cost.
Anti-Dumping Duty: ADD is a tariff imposed by an importing country to counteract the margin of dumping and restore fair domestic prices.
WTO Rule: GATT Article VI permits ADDs only after an investigation confirms dumping, injury to the domestic industry, and a causal link between the two.

{Prelims – Agri} National Digital Livestock Mission

Context (PIB): The National Digital Livestock Mission (NDLM) was launched by Government of India.

About National Digital Livestock Mission

It is a digital ecosystem launched by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying to create a national database of livestock and related services.
Bharat Pashudhan is the technology platform under NDLM, consisting of an Android mobile application and web interface, and is used by field workers to digitally record livestock-related activities.
Livestock animals are provided a 12-digit Pashu Aadhaar through bar-coded ear tags, for recording breeding, vaccination, disease, and ownership data.
The 1962 Livestock Owner App replaces e-Gopala, to enable livestock owners access to their animals’ digital records and information on government schemes and services.
Implemented across all States integrating programmes like the Rashtriya Gokul Mission, it covers about 9.5 crore livestock owners and 35.96 crore animals.

e-Gopala: Mobile app launched in 2020 by the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying to provide livestock owners access to animal health services and schemes-related information.

Read More > India’s Dairy Sector

{Prelims – Species} Freshwater Sponges *

Context (PIB): A recent study on freshwater sponges shows they act as both bioindicators and absorbents of toxic metals.

About Freshwater Sponges

Freshwater sponges are multicellular, immobile aquatic animals forming colonies in non-saline freshwater ecosystems.
Appearance: They appear as mossy mats or branched structures attached to submerged rocks or logs.
Colour: Body colour varies from grey to bright green due to symbiosis with zoochlorellae (green algae).
Habitat: They thrive in clear, calm or slow-moving freshwater bodies with stable rigid substrates.
Distribution: The sponges occur globally except Antarctica, with India recording 31 of 250 species.
Feeding: They are active filter feeders, pumping water through pores to consume microbes and detritus.
Dormant Survival: They survive harsh conditions by producing dormant, seed-like asexual structures called gemmules.
Major Threats: Water pollution, sedimentation, microplastic pollution, heatwaves, etc.

Key Roles Played by Freshwater Sponges

Active Purifiers: Freshwater sponges pump and filter large water volumes, removing bacteria, viruses, plankton, and organic detritus
Water Clarity: By removing suspended particles, sponges improve water transparency and allow deeper sunlight penetration.
Metal Sentinels: Sponges and associated microbial communities detoxify water by accumulating arsenic, lead, and cadmium.
Silicon Recycling: Decomposition of sponge skeletons releases silicon essential for diatom growth.
Microhabitat: Porous sponge structures provide microhabitats for worms, crustaceans, insect larvae, and zoochlorellae.
Water Indicators: As highly pollution-sensitive organisms, freshwater sponges reliably indicate contamination levels.

{Prelims – S&T} Artemisinin *

Context (TH): Emergence of Artemisinin resistance in parts of Africa, mirroring earlier patterns seen in Southeast Asia, is raising concerns for global malaria control.

About Artemisinin

It is a fast-acting antimalarial compound derived from Artemisia annua (wormwood plant), extracted using low-temperature solvent methods to preserve its active ingredient.
Discovered in the 1970s, it revolutionised malaria treatment by being effective against parasites resistant to established remedies like chloroquine and sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine.
It is effective against all Plasmodium species, targeting their ability to replicate within red blood cells.
It has a very short half-life and is rapidly eliminated, making monotherapy ineffective and necessitating combination with longer-acting partner drugs.
WHO recommends artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) for Plasmodium falciparum malaria, with intravenous artesunate (artemisinin derivative) used for severe malaria.

Read More > Malaria Vaccine R21/Matrix-M

{Prelims – Tribes} Dandami Madia Tribe

Context (TH): The Bison Horn Maria dance of the Dandami Madia tribe in Bastar, Chhattisgarh, has drawn attention as a living expression of the Gond tribal culture.

About Dandami Madia Tribe

The Dandami Madia, also called Bison-Horn Maria or Khalpati Maria, are a tribal community of southern Bastar in Chhattisgarh known for their distinctive bison-horn ceremonial headgear.
They identify with the broader Gond tradition, and their settlements in Darbha, Tokapal, Lohandiguda and Dantewada are closely tied to dense forest life.
The main language spoken by the tribe is Dandami Maria, a variety of the Maria (Dravidian) language; some also speak Gondi dialects.
Their economy is primarily agricultural, supplemented by hunting and fishing, reflecting their forest-linked subsistence patterns.
Their society features the ghotul youth dormitory system, permits divorce and widow remarriage, and follows a belief system combining Hindu practices with animistic traditions.

{Prelims – In News} Coal India Limited

Context (TH): B. Sairam takes over as new Chairman & Managing Director of Coal India Limited (CIL).

About Coal India Limited

It is a Central Public Sector Enterprise (CPSE) of Maharatna status under the Ministry of Coal, with its headquarters at Kolkata, West Bengal.
Incorporated in 1975 following coal nationalisation, CIL is the world’s largest coal-producing company, accounting for about 82-83% of India’s domestic coal production.
It functions as a holding company with eight Indian subsidiaries, operates a subsidiary in Mozambique, and its mining operations span around 84-85 mining areas across eight states.
Its key initiatives include First Mile Connectivity (FMC) for mechanised evacuation, the UTTAM portal for coal quality transparency, and diversification into renewable energy and critical minerals.

Read More > Coal Sector in India

{Prelims – In News} Jan Aushadhi Kendras Expansion

Context (DD): The Union Government announced a target to expand Jan Aushadhi Kendras to 25,000 by March 2027.

About Jan Aushadhi Kendras

They are retail outlets set up under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP) to provide quality generic medicines at affordable prices.
The scheme is administered by the Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers (Department of Pharmaceuticals) and implemented by the Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Bureau of India (PMBI).
Medicines sold are WHO-GMP certified and priced at least 50%-90% cheaper than leading branded equivalents.
As of Nov 2025, 17,610 Kendras operate nationwide, offering ~2,110 drugs and 315 surgical items; expansion targets aim for 20,000 Kendras by March 2026 and 25,000 by March 2027.
They follow a franchisee model, supported by financial incentives, digital tools like the Jan Aushadhi Sugam App, and awareness drives such as Jan Aushadhi Diwas (7 March).