Current Affairs – December 22, 2025

{GS2 – Vulnerable Sections – Women} Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women Report

• Context (HT): Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women tabled a report highlighting weak enforcement of labour laws and underutilisation of welfare funds for women workers.

Key Highlights of the Report

• Utilisation of Cess: Only 58% of the collected cess under the Building and Other Construction Workers (BOCW) Act was utilised by mid-2025.
• Workplace Facilities: Mandatory welfare facilities such as crèches, separate toilets, and restrooms were largely absent at construction sites and unorganised workplaces.
• POSH Committees: Local Committees mandated under the POSH Act, 2013, were largely non-functional or unknown to unorganised women workers.
• Helpline Effectiveness: Women Helpline 181 received over 23 million calls since 2015, but less than 40% resulted in field-level assistance.
• Gig Workers: Women in the gig economy face more safety risks and lack formal grievance redress mechanisms compared to organised sector workers.
• Data Gaps: Several states failed to provide reliable data on health benefits, pensions, and accident insurance for informal women workers.
• e-Shram Access: Low awareness and complex registration processes led to poor enrolment of eligible women workers on the e-Shram portal.

Key Recommendations of the Report

• Registration Drives: Nationwide registration camps for migrant and unorganised women workers to ensure social security coverage.
• Inspections: Mandatory, periodic, and surprise inspections to verify safety and welfare compliance.
• Service Integration: Digital integration of the 181 helpline with local police, ambulances, and One-Stop Centres for coordinated response.
• SHe-Box Integration: Integration of all the unorganised sector complaints with the SHe-Box portal, with time-bound resolution by District Collectors.
• CSR Utilisation: Using CSR funds to establish cluster-level crèches and maternity support centres.
• BOCW Transparency: Setting annual utilisation targets for BOCW cess and publishing quarterly progress reports.
• State Accountability: Linking central grants to state performance on women-specific safety indicators and fund utilisation outcomes.

{GS2 – IR – Groupings} Unlocking India–Africa Economic Partnership **

• Context (TH): Recent high-level visits in 2025 renewed focus on expanding India–Africa economic engagement and diversifying export markets beyond traditional Western demand.

Significance of India–Africa Economic Partnership

• Market Diversification: Africa absorbed ~10.4% of India’s total exports in 2023–24 ($45.38 bn of $437.11 bn), reducing single-market risk.
• Energy Security: Africa supplied ~$15.45 bn of India’s fuel imports in 2023–24.
• Growth Demand: Africa’s household consumption is growing ~3.9% annually, projected to reach ~$2.5 trillion by 2030, a long runway for Indian goods/services.
• Scale Advantage: African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) targets a single market of ~1.4 billion people with a combined GDP of ~$3.4 trillion.

Challenges Faced in India-Africa Economic Roadmap

• High Volatility: India–Africa trade fell from ~$97.85 bn (2022–23) to ~$83.4 bn (2023–24).
• China Competition: China–Africa trade was about ~$296 bn in 2024, dwarfing India’s scale.
• Infra Bottlenecks: Africa’s annual infrastructure need is ~$130–170 bn, with large funding gaps that keep logistics expensive and slow.
• Integration Gaps: Though AfCFTA is ratified widely, only ~24 countries were actively trading under it (reported 2025), limiting seamless market access.
• Finance Constraint: Africa’s trade finance gap is ~$80–120 bn annually, so MSMEs struggle to get affordable credit and guarantees.

Way Forward

• Deal Stacking: Build CECPA-style pacts with key hubs for rules-of-origin certainty; E.g. use the India–Mauritius CECPA model to replicate with regional anchors.
• AfCFTA Plug-in: Align Indian exporters with AfCFTA tariff schedules and Guided Trade Initiative workflows; E.g., create India desks with AfCFTA Secretariat to handhold compliance and product standards.
• Corridor Build: Invest in ports and scheduled India–Africa shipping services to cut freight frictions; E.g., use Sagarmala and PM Gati Shakti-style coordination to improve multimodal evacuation.
• Services Push: Use IT, health, skilling and diaspora networks to lock in long-term demand; E.g. tele-education/tele-medicine platforms (e-VidyaBharti/e-ArogyaBharti) tied to local hiring.

Read More > India-Africa Digital Compact

{GS3 – Infra – Ports} Bureau of Port Security **

• Context (TH): Centre decided to constitute a dedicated Bureau of Port Security (BoPS) to oversee the security of vessels and port facilities.

About the Bureau of Port Security

• Legal Basis: Statutory body under Section 13 of the Merchant Shipping Act 2025, for ship security.
• Institutional Set-up: Headed by a Director General under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways; modelled on the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS).
• Core Functions: Timely analysis, collection and exchange of security information, dedicated focus on cybersecurity to protect port Information Technology (IT) systems.
• Risk-Based Security: Implementation to be graded and risk-based instead of one-size-fits-all.
• Role of CISF: Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), earlier designated as Recognised Security Organisation (RSO) for seaport facilities, is also tasked to train private security agencies.
• Transition: For one year, the shipping safety regulator’s head will function as Director General of the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security to ensure continuity.

Significance of BoPS

• Trade Backbone: Maritime routes carry ~95% of India’s trade by volume and ~70% by value.
• Scale Exposure: India has 12 major ports and 200+ notified non-major ports.
• Throughput Risk: Major ports handled ~855 million tonnes in FY 2024–25; E.g., even a brief shutdown can create cascading congestion and demurrage.
• Energy Security: Petroleum-related cargo was ~254.5 million tonnes (~29.8% share) in FY 2024–25; any disruption can affect fuel availability and price stability.
• Efficiency Protection: Average turnaround time at major ports improved to ~49.5 hours in FY 2024–25, and stronger security helps protect these productivity gains from sabotage/cyber outages.

{GS3 – Envi – Conservation} Tiger Census Formally Launched in the 28^th NTCA Meeting **

• Context (PIB|IE): The 28^th Meeting of the NTCA and the 22^nd Steering Committee Meeting of Project Elephant were recently held in the Sundarbans Tiger Reserve, West Bengal.

• The sixth cycle of All India Tiger Estimation was formally launched with expanded coverage of Tigers Outside Tiger Reserves.

About National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA)

• Statutory Body: NTCA is a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, established under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Apex Authority: It was created in 2005 on the recommendations of the Tiger Task Force as the apex authority for Project Tiger.
• Annual Reporting: An Annual Report of NTCA is mandated to be laid before Parliament along with the Audit Report.
• Leadership: Union Environment Minister serves as Chairperson, Minister of State as Vice-Chairperson, and Inspector General of Forests for Project Tiger as Member Secretary.
• Membership: Members include 3 Members of Parliament (2 Lok Sabha, 1 Rajya Sabha) and 8 experts from wildlife conservation and tribal welfare.

Key Functions

• Approves site-specific Tiger Conservation Plans prepared by states.
• Lays down standards for tourism regulation, habitat management, and anti-poaching operations.
• Conducts the All-India Tiger Estimation once every four years.
• Evaluates and disallows ecologically unsustainable activities within tiger reserves.
• Coordinates with Wildlife Crime Control Bureau and deploys Special Tiger Protection Force.

About Project Elephant

• Centrally Sponsored: Project Elephant is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme launched in 1992 for elephant conservation in India.
• Administrative Merger: Administration merged with Project Tiger in 2023 under the new ‘Project Tiger and Elephant Division’.
• Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• Apex Committee: The Steering Committee is chaired by the Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
• Project Head: An Inspector General of Forests oversees the programme and serves as its director.
• Technical Partner: Wildlife Institute of India (WII) serves as the primary technical and research partner through a dedicated Elephant Cell.
• Key Objectives: Protect wild elephants, habitats, and corridors; address Human–Elephant Conflict; ensure the welfare of domesticated elephants; and implement MIKE under CITES.

Read More > Tiger Census, Project Tiger

{GS3 – Envi – Species} Elephant Deaths from Train Collisions **

• Context (IE): Seven wild Asian elephants, including calves, were killed when a Rajdhani Express collided with a herd in Assam’s Hojai district.

Landscape of Elephant Deaths due to Train Collisions

• Mortality Scale: Between 2010 and 2020, train collisions killed 186 elephants, ranking second among non-natural mortality causes after electrocution.
• Risk Regions: Northeastern and eastern India remain the highest-risk zones, with Assam historically recording the maximum elephant casualties.
• Time Pattern: Around 80% of elephant train accidents occur between 6 PM and 6 AM, peaking at night when elephant activity is highest, and visibility is lowest.
• Demographic Impact: Adult females form nearly 55% of victims, disrupting matriarchal herds and creating adverse effects on breeding populations.
• Risk Stretches: The government has identified 77 high-risk railway stretches covering 1,965 kilometres across 14 states, for urgent mitigation.

Drivers of Elephant-Train Collisions

• Linear Barriers: Railways fragment contiguous forests, forcing elephants to cross tracks for seasonal food and water.
• Unnotified Zones: Accidents occur in unnotified elephant-use areas, where trains operate at high speeds without mandated caution orders.
• Attractant Factors: Ripening paddy fields and edible waste from trains attract elephants toward railway tracks.
• Low Visibility: In Assam and North Bengal, winter fog during December-January reduces train driver visibility to a few metres.
• Coordination Gaps: Poor real-time coordination between forest trackers and railway control rooms delays issuance of caution orders.
• Track Design: High embankments and deep drainage trenches funnel elephants onto tracks, trapping them during approaching trains.

Government Measures to Prevent Elephant-Train Collisions

• Gajraj Suraksha: AI-based intrusion detection uses fibre-optic sensing to detect elephant movement within 200 metres of railway tracks.
• Structural Mitigation: Exit ramps and six-metre-high underpasses enable safe elephant crossings and prevent entrapment along railway tracks.
• Corridor Mapping: A 2024-25 joint survey identified 77 vulnerable stretches by mapping dynamic elephant migratory paths across 14 states.
• DNA Census: The 2024-25 DNA-based elephant census confirmed fragmented corridors where railway tracks cause genetic isolation between populations.
• Project RE-HAB: Bee-fence deterrents are expanded to railway fringes to discourage elephant movement near tracks.
• Plan BEE: An acoustic deterrent system broadcasts honey-bee buzzing sounds to deter elephants from approaching railway tracks.

Read More> Elephant Corridors and Elephant Reserves

{GS3 – S&T – Tech} Thorium-229 Solid-State Nuclear Clock *

• Context (TH): Scientists have demonstrated the nuclear ‘tick’ of Thorium-229 in a solid for the first time, opening a path to miniaturised nuclear clocks.

About the Discovery

• Excitation Method: Researchers used vacuum-ultraviolet laser (VUV) light to excite thorium-229 nuclei inside a thin thorium dioxide film.
• Electron Detection: Timed electric fields captured delayed electrons from nuclear decay, replacing difficult photon-based detection.
• Precision Achieved: Measurements showed resonance at 2,020,407.5 GHz; this implies an extraordinary stability, as such a clock loses only one second over 15.8 billion years.

Significance of the Discovery

• Improved Accuracy: Super-precise and stable clocks would enable high-accuracy navigation systems.
• Device Miniaturisation: Thin-film, electron-counting designs enable compact nuclear clocks suitable for satellites and mobile platforms.
• Accessibility: Solid-state thorium crystals remove the need for expensive, specialised transparent crystals, making the technology more affordable and scalable.
• Disaster Prediction: Miniaturised nuclear clocks can enable real-time monitoring of tectonic movement, improving early warning of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

{Prelims – MoHA – Schemes} Support to Poor Prisoners’ Scheme

• Context (TH): The Ministry of Home Affairs has revised guidelines to support the Poor Prisoners’ Scheme.

About Support to Poor Prisoners’ Scheme

• It is a centrally sponsored scheme launched in May 2023 by the Ministry of Home Affairs to enable the release of poor prisoners unable to pay bail or court-imposed fines.
• It is implemented through State and District Empowered Committees, funded via the National Crime Records Bureau, and monitored by State-level Oversight Committees.
• It covers undertrial prisoners not released within 7 days of bail and convicted prisoners detained due to unpaid fines, after verification of financial incapacity by the District Legal Services Authority.
• Allowance is capped at ₹40,000 for undertrial prisoners and ₹25,000 for convicted prisoners, deposited with courts to secure release; higher amounts require State Oversight Committee approval.
• It excludes prisoners booked under the Prevention of Corruption Act (PCA), Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and specified heinous offences.

Read More > Prison Reforms in India

{Prelims – Infra – Railways} Indian Railways Fare Rationalisation

• Context (TH): The Ministry of Railways has introduced passenger fare rationalisation, with a revised fare structure effective from December 26.
• Objective: to address the rising operational costs while minimising the impact on passengers.

• Approach: A tiered, distance-based model applies by train category, while key services retain existing fares to protect daily commuters and lower-income groups.

About India’s Railway Sector

• Indian Railways is the 4^th largest railway network in the world (after the US, Russia, and China) and the 2^nd largest under single management.
• Scale: The system spans over 68,000 km of route length and serves about 23 million passengers daily.
• Employment: It is one of the world’s largest employers, employing around 1.2 million people.
• Revenue Profile: Freight contributes nearly 65% of Indian Railways’ income, while passenger services account for about 29%.
• Electrification: About 99% of India’s broad-gauge railway network is electrified, supporting Indian Railways’ goal to become a Net Zero Carbon Emitter by 2030.

Read More > About India’s Railway Sector

{Prelims – Species} Three New Moth Species

• Context (RM): Researchers from the ICAR–Indian Agricultural Research Institute (IARI) have discovered three endemic micro-moth species in the high-altitude Himalayas.

Newly Discovered Moth Species

Gelechia adi

• Gelechia adi was discovered in Ramsing, Arunachal Pradesh, and named in honour of the local Adi tribe.
• Its ivory-white forewings show a distinct black streak at the wing base.

Gelechia bilobuncusa

• Found in Himachal Pradesh, its name refers to the bilobed shape of the uncus (part of male genitalia).
• It has pale brown wings with scattered black scales.

Istrianis ladakhensis

• Istrianis ladakhensis was named after its discovery in Ladakh.
• It is adapted to extreme high-altitudes. Light brown wings have mottled grey, white, and orange scales.

{Prelims – S&T} Superkilonova *

• Context (TH): Astronomers confirmed the first superkilonova event, AT2025ulz, located about 1.3 billion light-years from Earth.

• The observation provides the first direct evidence for sub-solar mass neutron stars (smaller than the Sun).

About Superkilonova

• Superkilonova: A superkilonova is a rare double explosion involving a supernova and a kilonova from the same source.
• Supernova Origin: It forms when a massive star explodes as a supernova while creating a close binary neutron star pair.
• Kilonova Collision: The two neutron stars spiral inward rapidly and collide, triggering a kilonova shortly after formation.
• Brightness Trait: Superkilonovae appear brighter and bluer than standard kilonovae due to extra energy from the Supernova.
• Colour Shift: Unlike red kilonovae, a superkilonova can shift from red emission to blue at later stages.

Read More: Stellar Evolution or Life Cycle of a Star

{Prelims – S&T} Drogue Parachutes Test Conducted for Gaganyaan Mission

• Context (TH | IE): The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully tested drogue parachutes for the deceleration system of the Gaganyaan crew module.

• The tests were conducted in the Rail Track Rocket Sled (RTRS) facility of the Terminal Ballistics Research Laboratory (TBRL), Chandigarh.
• Objective: to assess parachute performance, reliability, and robustness under extreme conditions, such as variations in flight parameters.
• Collaboration: The exercise involved Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE) and multiple DRDO laboratories.

Gaganyaan Deceleration System

• Gaganyaan crew module uses a multi-stage deceleration system with four distinct parachute types.
• Sequence: The apex cover separation parachutes remove the cover, drogue parachutes stabilise and slow the module; the pilot parachutes then pull out the main parachutes, which ensure safe touchdown.
• Drogue Parachute: It is a high-speed stabilisation and braking device designed to be deployed at extreme velocities, enabling safe deployment of main parachutes.

Read More > Parachute System Test for Gaganyaan Mission | Gaganyaan Mission

{Prelims – Disease} Dieback Disease

• Context (DC): Forestry researchers have initiated treatment trials to address dieback disease, causing a large-scale decline of neem trees in Telangana.

About Dieback Disease

• Dieback is a fungal plant disease in which branches and shoots start dying from the tip backwards, eventually leading to decline or death of the plant.
• It is mainly caused by soil-borne fungi such as Phytophthora, which infect plants during warm, wet, and humid conditions.
• Its typical symptoms include wilting and browning of leaves, drying of upper branches, stem cankers, fruit rot, and progressive thinning of the canopy.
• The fungus damages the roots, blocking water and nutrient uptake, causing near-total fruit loss and the plants to die from dehydration. It has no permanent cure.

Read More > Wheat Blast

{Prelims – In News} 10^th Swachh Survekshan 2025-2026

• Context (PIB): The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has launched the 10^th edition of Swachh Survekshan (SS 2025–26), marking a decade of the annual cleanliness assessment.

• Swachh Survekshan is the world’s largest annual urban cleanliness survey that serves as a management tool to promote Garbage Free Cities.
• The survey is conducted by the MoHUA under Swachh Bharat Mission–Urban (SBM-U 2.0).
• The theme for 2025-26, “Swachhata Ki Nayi Pehel—Badhayein Haath, Karein Safai Saath”, emphasises collective responsibility.

Key Features of Swachh Survekshan 2025–26

• Citizen Feedback: Year-round public participation is enabled through digital platforms like MyGov App, Swachhata App, and QR codes at public places.
• Expanded Coverage: Dedicated assessment framework now covers all river towns, with a separate evaluation matrix for coastal cities to address maritime sanitation challenges.
• Scoring Framework: Evaluation spans 10 sections and 160+ indicators, focusing on visual cleanliness, waste management efficiency, and sanitation worker welfare.
• New Award Category: “Swachh Shehr Jodis” (Clean City Pairs) award introduced to recognise mentorship and peer learning among cities.

Read More > Swachh Survekshan Awards | Swachh Shehar Jodi Initiative