Current Affairs – November 21, 2025

{GS2 – Polity} SC Clarification on Governor’s Powers to Assent Bills **

Context (TH): A five-judge Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court delivered its opinion on the Presidential Reference relating to the Governor’s assent to the Bills.

Background: The reference arose from an earlier Supreme Court ruling that held the Governor’s prolonged inaction on State Bills to be unlawful and unconstitutional.
- In that ruling, the court imposed specific timelines for the Governor and the President to act on Bills and invoked Article 142 to declare that the Bills in question had received “deemed assent.”

Constitutional Bench: A special bench of at least five Supreme Court judges constituted to decide cases involving a “substantial question of law” relating to the interpretation of the Constitution of India.

Advisory Opinions of the Constitutional Bench

Scope of Article 200

Three Choices: When a Bill is presented, the Governor may: (a) grant assent, (b) withhold assent and return it (if not a Money Bill), or (c) reserve the Bill for the President.
Indefinite Delay: The Constitution provides no option for indefinite inaction; assent cannot be stalled by simply withholding a decision.
Ministerial Advice: The Governor is not obliged to follow ministerial advice (under Article 163) when selecting among the three options under Article 200.

Limits of Judicial Review

Limited Review: Courts cannot review the merits of a decision under Article 200, but they may issue limited mandamus against prolonged or unexplained inaction.
Presidential Review: The merits of the President’s decision to assent or withhold assent under Article 201 are not subject to judicial review.
Immunity Scope: Personal immunity under Article 361 does not shield the offices of Governor or President from judicial review in cases involving prolonged inaction.

Constitutional Timelines

Flexible Deadline: Because Article 200 uses the flexible phrase “as soon as possible,” courts cannot impose rigid deadlines on the Governor’s decision-making.
Presidential Timelines: Courts similarly cannot impose deadlines on the President when considering Bills reserved under Article 201.

Judicial Role in Assent

Bills vs Laws: Judicial review applies only to laws (enacted legislation), not Bills (proposed legislation). Courts cannot rule on the validity of a Bill before it is assented to.
Article 142: The Supreme Court cannot use Article 142 to substitute or override the constitutionally assigned roles of the Governor or President.
No Deeming: The Court rejected the concept of “deemed assent” based on delay; a Bill cannot become law without explicit approval.
Advisory Opinion: The President is not required to seek Supreme Court advice under Article 143 every time a Bill is reserved; her subjective satisfaction is sufficient.
Assent Required: A bill becomes law only after the explicit assent of the Governor or of the President if the Bill is reserved.

Relevant Constitutional Articles

Article 200: Deals with the Governor’s powers regarding assent, return, or reservation of State Bills.
Article 201: Lays down the procedure for Bills reserved for the President’s consideration.
Article 361: Grants personal immunity to the President and Governors from court proceedings during their term.
Article 142: Empowers the Supreme Court to issue any order necessary to ensure complete justice in cases before it.
Article 143: Allows the President to seek the Supreme Court’s advisory opinion on questions of law or fact of public importance.

{GS2 – MoS} SARAL SIMS Portal *

Context (ET | PIB): The Ministry of Steel launched the SARAL Steel Import Monitoring System (SIMS) portal for simplified import registration.

About SARAL SIMS Portal

Purpose: New simplified registration system under SIMS to ease compliance for small steel imports and export-linked imports.
Single Registration: Importer declares only the total intended annual quantity and receives one SARAL SIMS number valid for multiple consignments in that fiscal year.
Small-Import Category: Allows consignments of ≤10 Metric tons (MT) with an annual cap of 1,000 MT (temporarily 500 MT till April 2026).
Export-Linked Category: Covers imports under Advance Authorisation, Special Economic Zone (SEZ), and Export Oriented Unit (EOU), with no quantity limits.
Validity & Compliance: SARAL SIMS number is usable until 30^th April of the next fiscal year; mandatory Annual Return filing by 30^th April detailing actual imports.
Threshold Breach Rule: Exceeding 1,000 MT/year forces a shift to regular SIMS for the remainder of that fiscal year, with no reversion allowed.

Advance Authorisation: Allows exporters to import raw materials duty-free, provided the finished goods made from them are exported.
Special Economic Zones (SEZ): Designated industrial zones treated as duty-free enclaves, where companies can import inputs tax-free to manufacture goods or services.
Export Oriented Units (EOU): Units approved to produce almost exclusively for export, permitted to import capital goods and raw materials without customs duties.

Read More > India’s Steel Sector

{GS2 – MoSPI} National Industrial Classification Code 2025 *

Context (PIB): The MoSPI released the National Industrial Classification (NIC) 2025 during the ‘Culmination Ceremony’ of the 75^th anniversary of the National Sample Survey (NSS).

About the National Industrial Classification (NIC) Code

The National Industrial Classification (NIC) code is a standardised framework for classifying economic activities based on their primary activity.
Global Alignment: It aligns with the International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC), developed by the United Nations Statistics Division.
Policy Use: The classification supports policy-making and budget allocation by helping to identify industry trends.
Background: The NIC system was first introduced in India in 1962 and has been revised periodically to reflect changes in economic structure.
Nodal Agency: It is published and updated by the National Statistical Office (NSO) under the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI).
Technology Agnostic: The classification doesn’t differentiate activities based on the technology used; it focuses on “what” is produced, not “how” it’s produced.

Key Changes Introduced in National Industrial Classification (NIC) 2025

Six-Digit System: The code structure has shifted from a five-digit to a six-digit format, increasing subclasses to around 1,900.
Global Harmonisation: NIC 2025 aligns with UN-ISIC Revision 5 up to the 4-digit level for better international comparability.
Digital Sector: New categories cover emerging digital activities such as cloud infrastructure, blockchain, web portals, e-commerce, and fintech services.
Platform Economy: Updated code recognises intermediaries, service aggregators, online platforms, and explicitly includes the gig economy.
Indigenous Sectors: Ayush healthcare and handloom activities now have dedicated classification codes.
Green Economy: Expanded coverage of the green economy aligns NIC 2025 with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting (SEEA).

{GS2 – Governance} Indian Justice Report on Functioning of Juvenile Justice Law **

Context (TH): The Indian Justice Report, an initiative by Tata Trusts, has published a study titled ‘Juvenile Justice and Children in Conflict with the Law: A Study of Capacity at the Frontlines’.

Key Findings of the Report

High Pendency: As of October 2023, 55% of the 100,904 cases before Juvenile Justice Boards (JJBs) were pending, averaging 154 cases per JJB.
- Odisha recorded the highest pendency at 83%, while Karnataka reported the lowest at 35%.
Bench Shortage: Nearly 25% of JJBs are functioning without the required three-member bench, and 30% lack an attached legal services clinic.
Place of Safety: Fourteen states have not established the mandatory “Place of Safety” for children aged 16-18 accused of heinous offences.
Standards Compliance: Only 11 of 292 districts met all seven minimum standards; There are only 40 child-care homes exclusively for girls.
Data Gap: Unlike adult courts with the National Judicial Data Grid, there is no central public repository for juvenile justice data.
Poor Oversight: Oversight of Child Care Institutions remains weak, with only 40% of required inspections carried out.
Coordination Deficit: The report highlights a weak coordination among the four nodal agencies.
- Nodal Agencies: (a) The Police, (b) the Department of Women & Child Development, (c) the State Child Protection Society (SCPS), and (d) the State Legal Services Authority (SLSA).

About Juvenile Justice Board

The Juvenile Justice Board (JJB) is a quasi-judicial body that hears cases involving children (<18 years) accused of committing an offence.
Legal Basis: Constituted under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, the JJBs are meant to be reformative rather than punitive.
Main Functions: The JJB conducts inquiries, evaluates the child’s circumstances, determines rehabilitation measures, and issues individual care plans.
Institutional Setup: Every State Government establishes a JJB for each district (or group of districts), chaired by a Metropolitan Magistrate or Judicial Magistrate of First Class.
3-Member: Along with the Principal Magistrate, the JJB comprises two social workers, at least one of whom must be a woman.
Case Processing: A child apprehended must be presented before the JJB within 24 hours, and the inquiry is expected to conclude within four months.

About Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015

The Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, is India’s primary legislation for children in conflict with the law and children in need of care and protection.
Key Objectives: It aligns with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, ensures care and protection for vulnerable children, and establishes a child-friendly justice system.
Offence Categories: Offences are classified by maximum punishment: petty (up to 3 years imprisonment), serious (3-7 years), and heinous (7 years or more).
- Adult Trial: For serious offences committed by children aged 16-18, the JJB assesses whether the child should be tried as an adult in the Children’s Court.
Institutional Setup: The Act mandates a JJB in every district for children in conflict with the law, and a Child Welfare Committee (CWC) for children needing care and protection.

{GS2 – Governance} NITI Aayog Launches Water Budgeting Report

Context (PIB): NITI Aayog released its report on “Water Budgeting in Aspirational Blocks”, using the digital platform Varuni to analyse block-level water demand–supply gaps.

Key Findings of the NITI Aayog Report

Water Stress Variation: Blocks across 8 diverse agro-climatic zones exhibit highly uneven water availability, demanding customised, climate-specific interventions to avoid future scarcity.
Sector-Wise Water Dominance: Agriculture continues to be the largest consumer of water, with domestic, livestock, and industrial sectors following, highlighting the need for efficient cropping patterns.
Critical Supply Gaps: Several aspirational blocks face recurring annual water deficits due to erratic rainfall, low storage capacity, poor recharge structures, and weak watershed management.
Groundwater Over-Dependence: Many blocks exhibit high reliance on groundwater, characterised by declining recharge rates and increasing extraction rates.

About NITI Aayog

NITI Aayog is a non-constitutional, non-statutory body, established in 2015 by an executive Resolution to replace the Planning Commission.
It has a twin mandate: to oversee the adoption and monitoring of the SDGs in the country, and to promote competitive and cooperative federalism among States and UTs.
The Prime Minister of India is the ex officio chairman. Vice-Chairperson, 4 Ex-Officio Members and Chief Executive Officer with fixed tenure are appointed by the Prime Minister.

Important NITI Aayog Reports

SDG India Index: Tracks State-wise progress on all 17 Sustainable Development Goals.
India Innovation Index: Ranks States/UTs on R&D support and startup ecosystem strength.
Health Index: Evaluates States on health outcomes, governance, and health service delivery.
Composite Water Management Index: Assesses water resource management across States.
Export Preparedness Index: Measures States’ readiness and competitiveness in global trade.
School Education Quality Index (SEQI): Benchmarks governance of school education systems.

{GS2 – IR} India–Israel Signs Terms of Reference

Context (TH): India and Israel officially signed the Terms of Reference (ToR) to begin negotiations for a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).

Objective: To increase bilateral trade between the nations by nearly ten times over the next decade.
Scale: The agreement covers market access, trade barrier removal, investment facilitation, customs simplification, and innovation cooperation.
Significance: It enhances economic stability and strengthens the India–Israel strategic partnership.

India–Israel Trade Relations

India is Israel’s second-largest Asian trading partner and its leading arms importer.
Trade is dominated by diamonds, petroleum products, and chemicals, but has seen recent growth in high-tech goods, communication systems, and medical equipment.
Bilateral trade (excluding defence) fell to $3.75 billion in FY 2024-25 from a peak of $10.77 billion in FY 2022-23, due to regional security tensions.

Read More > India–Israel Relations

{GS3 – IE} Eight Core Industries Show No Expansion

Context (TH): The Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI) recorded zero growth in October 2025, reflecting the weakest performance in 14 months.

Contractions in coal, electricity, natural gas, and crude oil offset gains in fertilisers, steel, cement, and refinery products.
This stagnation reduced the April–October 2025–26 cumulative ICI growth to 2.5%, compared to 4.3% in the previous year.

About Core Sector

The core sector comprises the eight main industries; coal, crude oil, natural gas, refinery products, fertilisers, steel, cement, and electricity.
These industries form backbone of the economy, which indicates industrial and macroeconomic health.
IIP Weight: The eight industries jointly contribute 40.27% to the Index of Industrial Production (IIP).
Inter-Sectoral Linkages: Their strong forward and backward linkages produce multiplier effects that influence the entire economy.
Measurement Basis: Core sector growth is calculated from the weighted growth rates of individual industries within the ICI.

About Index of Eight Core Industries (ICI)

The ICI is a monthly indicator of production for the eight core industries.
The Office of the Economic Adviser publishes it under the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.
Base Year: The current base year is 2011–12, aligned with the IIP.
Weightage: Petroleum & refinery products have the highest weight at 28.04%, followed by electricity (19.85%), steel (17.92%), coal (10.33%), crude oil (8.98%), natural gas (6.88%), cement (5.37%), and fertilisers (2.63%).

{GS3 – Envi} Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade

Context (DTE): At UN COP30 (Belém, Brazil), Parties launched the Integrated Forum on Climate Change and Trade to address rising climate-linked trade frictions and create a dialogue platform.

About IFCCT

Nature: Permanent, politically backed but non-negotiating platform for climate–trade discussions.
Purpose: Align trade policies, climate goals, and development priorities while preventing fragmentation.
Process: Open-ended global consultations until 2026 to decide scope, themes & rules of engagement.
Location: Initial consultations in Geneva, linking it with the WTO-centred multilateral trading system.

Significance of the Forum

Developing Country Equity: Addresses concerns over unilateral carbon border adjustments and supports Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) based dialogue.
Trade Predictability: Helps avoid policy fragmentation, retaliatory measures & supply-chain disruptions.
Voice for Global South: Enhances space for developing and underdeveloped nations to shape climate trade rules, reducing dominance by large economies.

{GS3 – S&T} CE20 Cryogenic Engine

Context (TH): ISRO successfully tested bootstrap mode start on CE20 Cryogenic engine which powers the upper stage of Launch Vehicle Mark -3 (LVM3) rocket.

The test proves ISRO can restart the CE20 cryogenic engine in flight without external start-up systems, enabling multi-orbit LVM3 missions without payload penalties.

Bootstrap mode: Method where a rocket engine starts itself using its own fuel flow & internal systems, without any external gas or start-up devices; allowing lighter, simpler engines to restart in space.

About CE20 Cryogenic Engine

Engine class: India’s first fully indigenous 200 kN-class (≈20-22 tonne thrust) cryogenic engine that powers the upper-stage of LVM3 (C25 stage).
Propellants: Operates on liquid oxygen (LOX) and liquid hydrogen (LH₂) in a gas-generator cycle, optimised for high-altitude efficiency.
Flight record: Operational since 2014–15 developmental missions, used in Chandrayaan-2 & 3, and all LVM3 commercial deployments.

Cryogenic engine: Rocket engine that burns liquid oxygen & liquid hydrogen at extremely low temperatures (below –250°C), delivering far higher efficiency & thrust-to-weight than conventional liquid engines, making it ideal for lifting heavy payloads to high orbits.

About LVM3 Rocket

Launch class: India’s heaviest operational launcher, capable of placing 4–4.5 tonnes to Geosynchronous Transfer Orbit (GTO) and 8 t+ to Low Earth Orbit (LEO), serving as ISRO’s primary heavy-lift vehicle.
Configuration: Three-stage design – S200 solid booster stage, L110 liquid core stage, and C25 upper stage powered by the CE20 cryogenic engine.
Mission profile: Used for Chandrayaan-2 & 3, OneWeb commercial deployments, and human-rated version of LVM3 is qualified for Gaganyaan mission.
Reliability: Achieved a consistent success record since 2017, positioning India in the global heavy-lift commercial launch market.

Human-Rated LVM3: Safety-enhanced version of LVM3 modified with strengthened structures, and an upgraded CE20 engine to meet stringent crew-safety standards for the Gaganyaan mission.

Read More > Gaganyaan Mission

{Prelims – In News} Colombo Security Conclave

Context (TH | ET): India hosted the 7^th National Security Adviser-level meeting of Colombo Security Conclave (CSC) in New Delhi.

Seychelles became the sixth member of CSC (previously holding observer status) during the meeting. Malaysia participated in CSC as a guest for the first time.

About Colombo Security Conclave (CSC)

Overview: A regional security grouping which began as the Trilateral Maritime Security Cooperation between India, Sri Lanka and Maldives in 2011 and later formalised as the CSC in 2020.
Membership: 6 members; India, Sri Lanka and Maldives are founding members. Mauritius joined as 4^th member in 2020, Bangladesh as the 5^th member in 2024 and Seychelles as the 6^th member in 2025.
- Permanent Secretariat of CSC is in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Core focus: Enhance regional maritime security across the Indian Ocean via coordinated surveillance, information sharing, and joint operations.
Thematic areas: Works across five pillars – maritime safety, counterterrorism, cyber security, human trafficking & narcotics control, and humanitarian assistance & disaster relief.
Mechanisms: Conducts joint exercises (CSC Exercises), coastal security drills, capacity-building, and regular National Security Adviser (NSA) and Deputy NSA-level meetings to institutionalise cooperation.

Read More > Indian Ocean Rim Association (IORA)

{Prelims – Species} Protidricerus albocapitatus Owlfly

Context (TH): Scientists have discovered a new species of owlfly, Protidricerus albocapitatus, in the Western Ghats of Kerala.

Significance: This is only the second species from the genus Protidricerus recorded in India.
Appearance: It has a long tuft of white hairs on the head and a white club at the tip of its antennae.
Etymology: Their name, ‘owlfly’, reflects their crepuscular behaviour and large, owl-like eyes.

{Prelims – PAN} Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary

Context (NIE): A wild tiger has returned to Gujarat’s Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary and stayed for nine months, the longest in the state’s modern history.

This makes Gujarat the only Indian state to host all three big cats — lions, leopards, and tigers.

About Ratanmahal Wildlife Sanctuary

It is also known as the Ratanmahal Sloth Bear Sanctuary and is home to Gujarat’s largest population of sloth bears. It was designated as a wildlife sanctuary in 1982.
It is located in the Dahod district along the Gujarat–Madhya Pradesh border.
Flora: Dry teak forests, mixed deciduous woodlands, and dry bamboo brakes; it has a high density of mahua trees, crucial for the sloth bears, which feed on the flowers.
Fauna: Besides sloth bears, the sanctuary houses leopards, hyenas, jackals, four-horned antelopes, jungle cats, birds, and reptiles.
Hydrological Role: The forests of the sanctuary form the catchment area for the Panam River.