SNIPPETS:18 DECEMBER 2025

POLITY

• Lok Sabha passed SHANTI Bill, 2025 + marks major policy shift by allowing private sector participation in India’s state-dominated nuclear sector + repeals Atomic Energy Act, 1962 and Civil Liability to Nuclear Damage Act, 2010 + grants statutory status to AERB + aims to expand nuclear capacity from 8.7 GW (24 reactors under NPCIL) to 100 GW by 2047 (~10% power mix) + justified by rising energy demand, clean baseload needs, and net-zero & energy security goals, despite Opposition protests and walk-out.
• Rajya Sabha passed Sabka Bima Sabki Raksha (Amendment of Insurance Laws) Bill + allows 100% FDI in insurance (from 74%) + mandates premiums retained in India + requires foreign insurers’ participation in social security schemes + strengthens IRDAI regulation + aims to boost competition, capital inflows, insurance penetration and financial inclusion + amid opposition concerns on data privacy, profit repatriation and foreign control + alongside passage of Repealing and Amending Bill scrapping 71 obsolete laws.

ECONOMY

• Lok Sabha approval on December 15, 2025 of first batch of Supplementary Demands for Grants (2025–26) + enables government spending beyond February 2025 Union Budget estimates + authority derived from Article 115 of the Constitution of India allowing additional fund requests + procedure requires Lok Sabha passage followed by Appropriation Bill to withdraw from Consolidated Fund of India + relatively low fiscal impact due to record ₹2.69 trillion RBI surplus transfer earlier in the year

GEO AND ENVIRONMENT

• Supreme Court (Nov 2025) settled uniform legal definition of Aravalli hills (≥100 m elevation) + paused fresh/renewed mining leases across Delhi–Haryana–Rajasthan–Gujarat + based on CEC recommendations recognising Aravallis as ecologically fragile national infrastructure + crucial for desertification control, groundwater recharge, climate regulation, biodiversity corridors + linked to UNCCD obligations + addresses four decades of mining-induced groundwater depletion, habitat loss, air pollution + adopts sustainable use over total ban + mandates scientific mapping, macro-EIA, no-go zones, regulated mining, restoration + reinforces inter-generational equity and environmental rule of law.
• Study affirms Kerala’s richest butterfly diversity in the Western Ghats + documents 328 species in Kerala, including 41 Western Ghats endemics + based on monograph ‘The Butterflies of Kerala: Status and Distribution’ published in ENTOMON + notes 337 species across the Western Ghats, with Kerala hosting nearly entire diversity + covers six families led by Nymphalidae (97), Lycaenidae (96) & Hesperiidae (82) + records 36 migratory species, highlighting Kerala as a key seasonal corridor + identifies 22 species in IUCN Red List (mostly Least Concern, 2 Near Threatened) + reports 70 species protected under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, with 4 under Schedule I + includes major larval host plant checklist with 1,800+ feeding records, 350 new observations across ~800 plant species, making it one of India’s largest region-specific compilations

SCIENCE

• Project Suncatcher announced by Google CEO Sundar Pichai + moonshot research initiative + aims to deploy solar-powered space data centres by 2027 + envisions satellite constellations as AI data hubs + uses continuous solar energy, laser optical links and TPUs + responds to AI-driven surge in energy, water and carbon costs of terrestrial data centres + enabled by reusable rockets + raises governance, cybersecurity and space regulation challenges.