Current Affairs – November 07, 2025

{GS2 – MEITY} India AI Governance Guidelines **

• Context (TH | PIB): The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) released the India AI Governance Guidelines for regulating Artificial Intelligence in India.

• The guidelines promote a flexible, innovation-friendly AI framework suited to India’s socio-economic context. It was unveiled under the IndiaAI Mission.

Key Components of the Guidelines

• Guiding Principles: Seven Sutras guide it—trust, people-centricity, responsible innovation, fairness & equity, accountability, understandability by design, safety, resilience, & sustainability.
• Governance Pillars: Six pillars for AI development—Infrastructure, Capacity Building, Policy and Regulation, Risk Mitigation, Accountability, and Institutions.
• Action Plan: The multi-phase plan details priorities across short, medium, and long terms, including creating new governance institutions and amending current laws as necessary.
• Practical Framework: These serve as guidance for developers, industry, and regulators to ensure transparent and accountable AI deployment.
• Institutional Framework: The guidelines establish three new AI-specific institutions while integrating existing regulators, advisory, and standards bodies for coordinated implementation.
  • AIGG: The AI Governance Group will serve as a permanent, high-level inter-agency body dedicated to coordinating policies across ministries.
  • TPEC: The Technology and Policy Expert Committee will function as a multidisciplinary advisory forum offering technical and policy guidance.
  • AISI: AI Safety Institute will act as the main technical organisation for testing, evaluation, certification, and setting standards for AI systems.

Read More About AI

{GS2 – MoRTH} Road Accidents in India **

• Context (IE): The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has published its provisional 2024 report on road accidents in India.

About Road Accidents in India Report

• ‘Road Accidents in India’ is the annual national report on road accidents and fatalities published by the Transport Research Wing (TRW) of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH).
• Data Source: The report analyses accident and fatality data submitted by Police Departments of all States and Union Territories.
• Standardised Format: It follows data formats developed by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) under the Asia-Pacific Road Accident Data (APRAD) project.

Key Findings of the Provisional Report 2024

• National Overview: India reported 4.73 lakh road accidents and 1.70 lakh fatalities across 35 states and UTs in 2024, excluding West Bengal.
• States with Decline: Nine states and UTs, including Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Goa, Jharkhand, and Nagaland, recorded decreases in both accident numbers and fatalities.
• High-Incidence: Tamil Nadu remained the most accident-prone state for the seventh consecutive year, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh.
• Highest Fatalities: Uttar Pradesh reported the maximum accident deaths at 24,118 deaths in 2024, and the highest accident-to-fatality ratio of 52.37%.
• Improved Performers: Kerala recorded the lowest accident severity, while Telangana achieved the sharpest drop in fatality rate from 33.44% to 30.59%.

Read More > Road Safety in India

{GS2 – Social Sector} India’s Rare Disease Community **

• Context (TH): The Delhi High Court (2024) ordered the Centre to operationalise the National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021 (NPRD) and establish a ₹974 crore National Fund for Rare Diseases (NFRD).

• Since 2023, over 50 children have died as therapies were stopped once the ₹50 lakh ceiling was reached.

Current Status of Rare Diseases in India

• Recognised Disorders:  India accounts for one-third of the global rare disease incidence, with over 450 rare genetic diseases, affecting an estimated 70–96 million citizens (ICMR 2023).
• Major Rare Diseases: Spinal Muscular Atrophy, Gaucher’s disease, and Whipple’s disease.
• Centres of Excellence: 12 CoEs, including AIIMS Delhi, ICH Chennai, have approved treatment protocols.
• Drug Access: 95 % of orphan drugs are imported, raising annual therapy costs to ₹3–5 crore per patient.
• Psychological Trauma: 62 % of caregivers report depression and burnout (MoHFW review 2024).
• Financial Catastrophe: 78 % of rare-disease families incurred catastrophic health expenditure (> 25 % of income); 41 % sold assets (NHP 2024).

Challenges Faced in Tackling Rare Diseases

• Administrative Paralysis: 0 % fund disbursal under NFRD since the notification (MoHFW 2024).
• High Treatment Cost: Average therapy cost equals 80× India’s per-capita income.
• Low Public Spending: India’s total health expenditure is 1.3 % of GDP (NHA 2024).
• Data Deficiency: National rare-disease registry covers only ≈ 1,500 patients vs millions estimated.
• Weak Coordination: Only 5 States have operational State Nodal Offices (MoHFW review 2024).

Policies and Schemes for Tackling Rare Diseases in India

• National Policy for Rare Diseases 2021: Core framework by MoHFW for diagnosis and treatment.
• National Fund for Rare Diseases: ₹974 crore fund to finance high-cost therapies.
• Customs & IGST Exemption (2022): Full tax exemption on imported orphan drugs and medical devices.
• Patient Registry (ICMR–NIMS): National database for tracking patients and improving research.
• State Rare-Disease Cells: Formed in Kerala, Karnataka and Delhi for decentralised implementation.

Way Forward

• Immediate Fund Release: Operationalise the ₹974 crore NFRD with direct transfer to CoEs.
• Create a National Mission: Launch a dedicated Rare Disease Mission under MoHFW with a ring-fenced annual budget and measurable treatment outcomes, modelled on India’s National Cancer Grid.
• Legislative Backing: Enact a Rare Diseases (Prevention and Treatment) Act, ensuring statutory entitlement and continuity of care.
• Indigenous Drug Production: Extend PLI Scheme to orphan-drug and gene-therapy R&D to reduce imports, similar to South Korea’s Orphan Drug Development Programme.
• Empower States: Incentivise competitive federalism by ranking states on rare-disease readiness, similar to NITI Aayog’s Health Index approach.
• Judicial Monitoring: The Supreme Court should mandate quarterly progress reporting to prevent policy paralysis, ensuring constitutional compliance under Article 21.
• Integrate Early Screening: Add newborn genetic testing under Ayushman Bharat for early detection and prevention, like Japan’s “Health Japan 21” model.

{GS2 – IR} India and Luxembourg to Deepen Space Cooperation

• Context (DDN): India and Luxembourg have agreed to expand cooperation in space, science, and technology during a high-level meeting in New Delhi.

• Space Collaboration: Luxembourg’s space-finance ecosystem and innovation hubs will support Indian start-ups in securing investment and research partnerships in Europe.
• Satellite Launches: ISRO’s Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) has successfully launched multiple Luxembourg satellites under commercial space agreements.
• Space Legislation: Luxembourg became the first country in 2017 to pass a law allowing commercial mining and the use of space resources.

About India-Luxembourg Relations

• Diplomatic Relations: India and Luxembourg established formal diplomatic relations in 1948 and celebrated 75 years of partnership in 2023.
• Foreign Investment: Cumulative FDI inflows from Luxembourg exceeded US$5 billion by 2024, making it the fifth-largest EU investor and 15^th overall.
• Financial Gateway: Luxembourg acts as a gateway for India’s financial services to enter European markets. The Luxembourg Stock Exchange was the first to list Masala Bonds.
• Trade Dynamics: India generally records a trade deficit in goods (€37.96 million in 2023) but maintains a surplus in services (€67 million in 2022).
• Industrial Partnership: Luxembourg has played a major role in modernising India’s steel sector. Its company Paul Wurth’s blast furnace technology is widely implemented in Indian plants.

{GS2 – IR} India–UAE Cultural Cooperation

• Context (IE): At the 2^nd Joint Steering Committee Meeting of the India–UAE Cultural Council, both nations agreed to deepen cultural, educational, and youth cooperation.

India–UAE Cultural Cooperation Highlights

• Cultural Landmark: India House to be built in Abu Dhabi as a hub for art, yoga training, and heritage exhibitions, symbolising the creative bond between the two nations.
• Yoga Recognition:  To formalise Yoga as a competitive sport, first in the Gulf via UAE Yoga Committee.
• Archival Linkages: Plans for cooperation between National Archives of India and UAE’s archival institutions to document shared maritime and cultural history.
• Youth, Education, Tourism: Roadmap for student mobility and co-branded tourism events.

Read More> Importance of UAE for India

{GS3 – IE} New Special Economic Zones (SEZ) Norms for Exporters

• Context (IE): A government panel involving the Commerce Ministry, NITI Aayog, and exporters is drafting new SEZ norms to allow limited domestic sales and “reverse job work” amid low SEZ utilisation.

Current Status of SEZs in India

• Exports: SEZ exports reached $172 billion in FY25, contributing ≈30 % of India’s total exports.
• Coverage: About 276 operational SEZs; domestic sales currently capped at 2 % of total output.
• Declining Utilisation: Gems & jewellery units dropped from ≈500 (2018) to ≈360 (2022).
• FDI Weakness: FDI inflows to SEZs remain under 3 % of India’s total.
• R&D Deficit: Only 4 of 14 SEZ units surveyed invested in R&D, signalling low innovation capacity.
• Legislative Delay: The proposed Development of Enterprise and Services Hub (DESH) Bill remains pending; reforms are now being explored through the executive route.

Consequences of Outdated SEZ Norms in India

• Export Losses: U.S. tariffs and policy rigidity have cut SEZ export growth to < 4 % YoY (FY24-25).
• Idle Capacity: Nearly 25–30 % of SEZ production capacity is underutilised during seasonal demand dips.
• Competitiveness Decline: Vietnam’s zones attract 3× more FDI due to liberal domestic-linkage rules.
• Fiscal Loss: Over 35 SEZ units have applied for de-notification since 2023, leading to an estimated ₹2,800 crore annual shortfall in customs duties and income-tax revenue (MoC&I 2025).
• Employment Risk: The gems and jewellery SEZ sector employ around 1.05 lakh artisans, and declining U.S. orders have caused job losses exceeding 12,000 positions in FY 2024-25 (GJEPC 2025).

Challenges Faced by SEZs in India

• Limited Market Access: SEZ units cannot sell freely in the Domestic Tariff Area (DTA), restricting capacity use during export slowdowns
• High External Dependence: Nearly 40 % of SEZ exports cater to the U.S. market; new tariff barriers of 10–25 % on gems, jewellery, and textiles have eroded profit margins (DGFT 2025).
• Withdrawal of Incentives: Post-2019 removal of Section 10AA tax holidays and imposition of MAT @ 15 % + DDT @ 20 % led to a 25 % fall in new SEZ registrations (CAG 2024).
• Skill & R&D Gap: Only 28 % of SEZ firms have access to technology-training modules (ICRIER 2024).
• Low FDI & Brand Linkages: SEZs attracted barely 3 % of total FDI inflows (2023-24) versus Vietnam’s 11 %, reflecting weak global promotion (DPIIT 2024).
• Negative Trade Balance Risk: Imports of raw materials like gold and diamonds rose 12 % YoY, while exports stagnated at 3 %, causing deficit trade positions in select SEZs (ICRIER 2024).

Way Forward

• Reverse Job-Work Policy: Permit SEZs to undertake domestic subcontracting under fair-duty adjustment like China’s dual-use SEZ model.
• Duty-Neutral Framework: Create an equal tax structure for inputs used by both SEZ and DTA units, as in Malaysia’s Free-Trade Zone policy.
• R&D and Skill Incentives: Launch SEZ Innovation & Skill Mission offering tax rebates for technology upgradation and design training.
• Digital Integration: Link SEZ operations with the National Single-Window System for faster approvals.
• Strengthen FDI Environment: Conclude investment-protection pacts and branding campaigns similar to Vietnam’s Industrial Parks Strategy 2022.
• Sustainable Incentives: Replace blanket tax holidays with performance-based incentives tied to exports, jobs, and domestic-value addition.

Read More > Special Economic Zones (Amendment) Rules, 2025

{GS3 – Envi} Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980 **

• Context (IE): The Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Union Environment Ministry has recommended uniform penal provisions for violations of the Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam.

• The FAC observed inconsistent penalties for similar offences due to a lack of common guidelines.

Key Recommendations by FAC

• Apply penal CA on an equal extent of forest area used in violation, ensuring consistency across states.
• Combine penal CA with penal NPV for proportional and fair enforcement.
• State governments must submit detailed reports on violations to regional offices or MoEFCC headquarters, naming officials responsible.

About Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980

• The Van (Sanrakshan Evam Samvardhan) Adhiniyam, 1980, earlier called the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980, was enacted to regulate the diversion of forest land for non-forestry purposes.
• It mandates prior approval of the Central Government before any forest land is used for mining, industry, agriculture, or infrastructure.
• The Act provided that any aggrieved person may file an appeal to the National Green Tribunal against the decision of the State Government or any authority.
• The Act empowered the Central Government to constitute the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) to advise the Government regarding forest conservation.
• After the 2023 amendment, it introduced new provisions for land-use rationalisation, penal Net Present Value (NPV), and Van Adhiniyam Rules, 2023, aligning forest conservation with developmental needs.

Read More> Forest (Conservation) Amendment Bill, 2023

{GS3 – Envi} Solar Waste Management in India

• Context (TH): A study by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) estimates that India could generate ~11 million tonnes of solar waste by 2047, mainly from crystalline-silicon solar modules.

Key Findings of the Report

• To handle projected waste, nearly 300 specialised recycling plants would be required nationwide.
• Material recovery (silicon, copper, aluminium, and silver) could create a circular-economy opportunity worth ₹ 3,700 crore by 2047.
• If recycling becomes efficient, recovered materials could supply 38% of raw material requirements for solar manufacturing and avoid 37 million tonnes of carbon emissions.

Concerns Highlighted in the Report

• India’s solar recycling ecosystem is still in its nascent stage; only a few recyclers operate commercially.
• Recycling is economically unviable today, as recyclers incur losses of ₹10,000-₹12,000 per tonne, while buying back waste modules accounts for two-thirds of recycler costs.
• Without policy support, most panels may end up in landfills, creating environmental hazards.

Policy Recommendations by CEEW

• Introduce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) under the E-Waste Management Rules, 2022 and panel manufacturers should collect and recycle end-of-life modules.
• Support recyclers through EPR certificate trading, tax incentives, and R&D to improve the recovery of silicon and silver.
• Create a centralised solar inventory to track waste hotspots and improve transparency in material data.
• Form a Circular Solar Taskforce under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) to coordinate policy, finance, and industry efforts.

{Prelims – PAN} Nauradehi to Become India’s Third Cheetah Reintroduction Site*

• Context (IE): Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh is set to become India’s third cheetah reintroduction site under Project Cheetah, after Kuno NP and Gandhi Sagar WLS.

• Predator Dynamics: For the first time, translocated cheetahs in Nauradehi will share habitats and compete with other apex predators (e.g., Indian wolves, Bengal tigers, crocodiles, etc.)

About Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary

• Nauradehi is the largest wildlife sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh, spanning 1,197 sq km across Sagar, Damoh, and Narsinghpur districts.
• Topography: The sanctuary lies on a plateau in the upper Vindhyan range, with elevation ranging between 400 and 600 metres.
• Forest Type: It is classified as Southern Tropical Dry Deciduous Forest, dominated by teak along with Amla, Tendu, Mahua, and Sal.
• Dual Basins: About one-fourth drains into the Narmada basin, while the remaining three-fourths flow into the Yamuna basin via the Kopra, Bamner, and Bearma rivers.
• Key Fauna: The Indian wolf is the keystone species; Others include Bengal tiger, leopard, dhole, hyena, sloth bear, and the rare bird Spotted Grey Creeper.
• Ecological Connectivity: It forms a critical wildlife corridor between Panna and Satpura TRs and indirectly connects Bandhavgarh TR via the Rani Durgavati WLS.

{Prelims – S&T} Brightest and Most Distant Black Hole Flare

• Context (FE): Astronomers recently detected the most distant and brightest black hole flare ever observed in the universe.

• Observation: The flare was first seen in 2018 at the Palomar Observatory in California, and later confirmed in 2023 at the Keck Observatory in Hawaii.
• Luminosity: It emitted light equivalent to 10 trillion suns and originated from Active Galactic Nucleus (AGN) J2245+3743, located about 10 billion light-years away.
• Event Type: The flare resulted from a Tidal Disruption Event (TDE) where a massive star (around 30 times the Sun’s mass) was torn apart by the gravity of a supermassive black hole.
• Time Dilation: As the universe expands, the flare’s light waves stretch during travel, making the entire event appear slower when observed from Earth.
• Significance: The discovery helps scientists in understanding how supermassive black holes formed and influenced the early galaxies.

Read More > Black Holes

{Prelims – S&T} Encephalomyocarditis Virus (EMCV)

• Context (IE): The only male African elephant at Delhi Zoo died due to the rare rodent-borne encephalomyocarditis virus (EMCV).

• Encephalomyocarditis virus is a positive-sense, non-enveloped, single-stranded RNA virus.
• It is a zoonotic virus that causes myocarditis and encephalitis (inflammation of the heart and brain) in mammals; it sometimes causes mild flu-like illness in humans.
• Host: Rodents, such as rats and mice, are natural hosts that carry the virus without showing symptoms.
• Transmission: Through the faecal-oral route via consuming food or water contaminated with infected rodent excreta or by ingesting infected rodent carcasses.
• Susceptible Species: Domestic pigs (especially piglets), African elephants, and non-human primates.
• Treatment: There is no specific treatment or commercial vaccine; management relies on rodent control, hygiene, and strict zoo-level biosecurity practices.

{Prelims} One Liners

• In News – Malaysia to Accept UPI (TOI): Malaysia has become the 9^th country to accept UPI transactions for Indian travellers, following Bhutan (first), France, Mauritius, Nepal, Singapore, Sri Lanka, UAE, and Qatar.
• Sports – 100 Years of Hockey (NOA): India is celebrating the centenary of Indian Hockey on November 7, 2025, to commemorate the founding of the Indian Hockey Federation in Gwalior in 1925.