SNIPPETS : 13 DECEMBER 2025

POLITY

• Union Cabinet decisions + ₹11,718 cr Census 2027 (India’s first fully digital & all-caste census, 30 lakh enumerators, self-enumeration) + Insurance Laws (Amendment) Bill 2025 enabling 100% FDI with domestic investment safeguards + MGNREGA renaming to Poojya Bapu Grameen Rozgar Yojana with workdays raised to 125 + Viksit Bharat Shiksha Adhikshan Bill creating single higher-education regulator + SHANTI Bill opening nuclear energy to private sector & CoalSETU for transparent coal allocation to drive data-led reforms, growth & welfare

GEO

• Delhi winter AQI deterioration (294–Poor) + policy misdirection in air pollution control + overfocus on PM10 while neglecting 5 (most lethal pollutant) that penetrates lungs & bloodstream + NCAP targets only PM10 (40% by 2026) + weak CPCB/SPCB capacity & cosmetic measures like smog guns + global lessons show need for PM2.5-centric, airshed-based, health-linked governance to make India’s clean air mission effective
• Siliserh Lake (Alwar, Rajasthan) declared Ramsar Site under Convention on Wetlands, 1971 + India’s Ramsar sites rise to 96 (from 26 in 2014) + 5th Ramsar site in Rajasthan + freshwater wetland in semi-arid region supporting 100+ bird species, groundwater recharge & microclimate regulation + boosts biodiversity conservation, eco-tourism, water security & climate resilience, marking progress towards 100 Ramsar sites milestone

INTERNATIONAL

• India excluded from US-led Pax Silica + initiative seeks secure silicon & critical minerals supply chains amid China diversification + members include Japan, South Korea, EU allies & Australia + India’s absence reflects limited semiconductor, AI & advanced manufacturing capacity, not strategic drift + India already part of Minerals Security Partnership (2023) + National Critical Mineral Mission (2025) & QUAD cooperation keep scope for future inclusion

MISCELLANEOUS NEWS

• Dr Tessy Thomas, renowned aerospace engineer behind India’s strategic missile programme, honoured with 8th Paulos Mar Gregorios Award 2025 for outstanding contribution in women empowerment, space, and missile technology + award instituted in memory of Paulos Mar Gregorios, scholar, theologian, and former President of World Council of Churches
• Siddhi Jain became first female cadet awarded President’s Medal for overall order of merit + selected for 149th NDA course, second batch of female cadets + women’s entry into NDA enabled after Supreme Court interim order, August 2021 allowing eligible women to appear for NDA and Indian Naval Academy exams