2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine

• India has officially begun the countdown to the 2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine, to be held from 17–19 December 2025 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.

2nd WHO Global Summit on Traditional Medicine

• A high-level global health summit convened by the WHO to advance traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine through scientific validation and policy collaboration.

Host:

• Co-hosted by WHO and the Ministry of Ayush, Government of India.
• Supported by the WHO Global Traditional Medicine Centre (GTMC), Jamnagar, established in partnership with India.
• Theme (2025): “Restoring balance: The science and practice of health and well-being.”

Key Features of the 2025 Summit

• Evidence-Based Integration: Pushes scientific validation of traditional medicine through research, clinical trials, regulatory frameworks, and quality benchmarks.
• Global Participation: Delegations from 100+ countries, including Ministers, policymakers, industry leaders, scientists, and Indigenous medicine practitioners.
• Digital Health & Innovation: Showcases digital repositories, AI-driven pharmacopeias, and biodiversity mapping for medicinal plants.
• Biodiversity & Sustainability: Examines sustainable sourcing of medicinal plants and conservation of knowledge systems, including Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, Sowa-Rigpa, and Homeopathy.
• Policy Harmonisation: Aims to create a decade-long roadmap for integrating safe, equitable, evidence-based traditional medicine into national healthcare systems

Significance of the Summit

• Bolsters India’s Soft Power: Positions India as the global leader in traditional medicine, building on Yoga’s international success and Ayurveda’s rising credibility.
• Strengthens WHO-India Collaboration: Enhances the role of the WHO-GTMC in Jamnagar, reflecting global trust in India’s knowledge systems.
• Drives Health System Integration: Helps countries incorporate traditional medicine into universal health coverage, primary healthcare, and public health programs.

Kondapalli Transformation

• Kondapalli village in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, has received mobile connectivity and electricity for the first time, marking a major shift after decades under Maoist influence.

Kondapalli:

• A remote tribal gram panchayat in Maoist-affected Bijapur district that has gained mobile connectivity (first-ever tower) and electricity after years of isolation due to Left-Wing Extremist obstruction.

Key Features:

• Installation of the first mobile tower (Jio) in April 2025; 60% households now own mobile phones.
• Electrification of households after decades without basic amenities.
• Improved access to banking, Aadhaar-based services, welfare schemes, and emergency communication.

Significance:

• Demonstrates weakening Maoist influence and strengthening of state presence.
• Enhances socio-economic outcomes: telemedicine, digital education, welfare delivery, and livelihoods.
• Boosts trust in governance, enabling integration with mainstream development processes.

Brain–Computer Interface (BCI)

• India is exploring neurotechnology and Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCIs) as strategic tools for healthcare, economic growth, and technological leadership amid global advances led by the U.S., China, and Europe.

Brain–Computer Interface (BCI)

• A Brain–Computer Interface (BCI) is a system that interprets brain signals and converts them into digital commands to control external devices such as computers, robotic limbs, or wheelchairs.
• BCIs form a two-way communication channel between the brain and machines, aiding restoration of lost functions or enabling new capabilities.

How It Works?

• Signal Capture: Electrodes (invasive or non-invasive) record electrical activity from neurons.
• Neural Decoding: Machine learning algorithms translate these patterns into intentions (e.g., move arm, select letter).
• Device Control: The decoded signals activate an external device—robotic limbs, speech synthesizers, drones, or smart-home systems.
• Feedback Loop: Continuous decoding improves accuracy and enables real-time brain-machine interaction.

Key Features

• Direct brain-machine link: Bypasses nerve or muscle pathways, crucial for paralysed patients.
• Invasive & non-invasive options: Implantable electrodes give high precision; wearable EEG devices enable safer, everyday use.
• Real-time response: AI speeds up decoding, allowing fast, naturalistic control.
• Bidirectional capability (emerging): Some BCIs can stimulate the brain to restore function or treat disorders.

Applications of BCIs

• Medical Rehabilitation: BCIs restore mobility in paralysed patients through robotic limbs or wheelchairs and enable “locked-in” patients to communicate via neural spellers or gaze-based typing.
• Treatment of Neurological Disorders: Used for stroke, Parkinson’s, depression and spinal injuries by stimulating targeted brain regions, reducing long-term reliance on conventional psychiatric or neuro drugs.
• Assistive Technologies: Allow users to operate smartphones, computers and smart-home devices through thought-driven commands, significantly boosting independence for motor-impaired individuals.
• Defence & Security: BCIs can enable soldiers to control drone swarms or communication systems mentally, offering tactical advantages but creating serious ethical, legal and security risks.

150 Years of Vande Mataram

• The Parliament has scheduled a special discussion to commemorate 150 years of the National Song Vande Mataram.
• Debate: The celebration revived debate over the Congress Working Committee’s 1937 decision to adopt only the first two stanzas for national gatherings.

About ‘Vande Mataram’

• Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay wrote the poem in 1875. He later included it in his 1882 Bengali novel Anandamath, published in the magazine Bangadarshan.
• Structure: The poem has six stanzas; the first two use Sanskrit and the latter ones use Bengali.
• Portrayal: In the novel, warrior-monks sing the hymn to praise Mother India through the image of goddess Durga.
• Trigger: British promotion of “God Save the King/Queen” encouraged Bankim to write a patriotic hymn.

Musical Composition

• Early Tune: Jadunath Bhattacharya composed an initial tune for the poem at Bankim Chandra’s request.
• Tagore: Rabindranath Tagore composed a widely recognised version based on the raga Desh Malhar.
• Debut: Tagore first sang Vande Mataram publicly at the Congress Session 1896 in Calcutta presided over by M. Rahmathulla Sayani.

Partition of Bengal (1905)

• Rally Cry: Vande Mataram became the central slogan of the Swadeshi and boycott movement after the 1905 partition of Bengal.
• First Use: The slogan was publicly raised for the first time on 7 August 1905 at Calcutta’s Town Hall.
• Customary: Vande Mataram became the customary opening song for all-India Congress occasions at the 1905 Varanasi session. Sarala Devi Chaudhurani sang it at the session.

Symbol of Defiance and Nationalism

• Colonial Ban: The British banned public chanting or display of Vande Mataram, imposing fines and using force against protesters.
• Defiance: The ban made the chant an act of resistance, with freedom fighters accepting jail or death while uttering it.
• Journals: Bipin Chandra Pal launched the English journal Bande Mataram in 1906, edited by Aurobindo. Lala Lajpat Rai later started an Urdu daily with the same name in 1920.
• Flag: Bhikaji Cama unfurled an Indian flag in Stuttgart in 1907 with “Vande Mataram” written across the central band.

CWC Decision to Use Only Two Stanzas

• Decision: The Congress Working Committee decided in 1937 to use only the first two stanzas for public and national gatherings.
• Leaders: The 1937 CWC included Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Vallabhbhai Patel and Subhas Chandra Bose. Rabindranath Tagore advised using only the first two stanzas.
• Concerns: The remaining stanzas were removed after minority groups objected to explicit invocations of Hindu goddesses Durga and Lakshmi.

Post-Independence Status

• Recognition: On 24 January 1950, Dr. Rajendra Prasad, President of the Constituent Assembly, declared Vande Mataram the National Song of India.
• Status: It was declared to be honoured equally with the National Anthem Jana Gana Mana.
• Law: Unlike the National Anthem, the National Song is not enforceable under the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
• Protocol: Each new session of Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha opens with the National Anthem and concludes sine die with the National Song Vande Mataram.

Fire Safety in India

• A major fire at Birch by Romeo Lane, a nightclub in Goa, killed about 25 people.

Fire Safety Legal Framework in India

• NBC 2016 (Part 4): National Building Code of India 2016 (Part 4), a central guideline covering fire prevention, building design, safe egress, and firefighting systems for buildings.
• State-level fire laws: NBC is recommendatory; states/urban local bodies must adopt via local bye-laws to make it enforceable.
• Fire NOC requirement: Many states mandate a NOC from the fire department for occupancy, especially for high-risk buildings (hotels, clubs, assembly halls, and basements).

Reasons for Recurring Fire Incidents in India

• Weak Enforcement: Safety inspections and NOC renewals are irregular, allowing high-risk operations to continue unchecked; E.g. the Jaisalmer bus fire exposed oversight gaps in sleeper-coach safety.
• Hazardous Material Mismanagement: Flammable goods are stored illegally due to poor monitoring; E.g., Gujarat fireworks-warehouse blast killed 21 after aluminium powder was kept without permits.
• Electrical Faults: Overloaded circuits and unmaintained wiring frequently trigger urban fires; E.g. the Hyderabad residential fire killed 17, including 8 children, due to suspected wiring failure.
• Unsafe Escape Routes: Encroached stairwells and unventilated corridors trap people during smoke spread; E.g., Kolkata hotel fire, 14 died from asphyxiation in a narrow stairwell.
• Regulatory Gap: NBC remains recommendatory until states adopt it into their bylaws; E.g., only about 22–24 states have fully integrated NBC 2016 fire provisions as of 2024 (MoHUA data).

Way Forward

• Code Adoption: Make NBC 2016 Part IV mandatory through state bylaws with periodic compliance.
• Basement Norms: Enforce smoke extraction, ventilation, sprinkler curtains, and dual exits for basements.
• Occupancy Audits: Tie nightclub/restaurant licences to annual third-party fire audits.
• Exit Discipline: Enforce clear, obstruction-free stairwells and escape routes with penalties for encroachment; E.g., replicate Mumbai Fire Brigade’s zero-tolerance checks before festival seasons.
• Service Modernisation: Strengthen state fire services through faster response units and narrow-lane vehicles; E.g., adopt Bengaluru’s rapid-intervention fire vehicles for dense urban cores.

India’s Tax Collection from Cryptocurrency Transactions

• The Ministry of Finance shared the tax collection data on cryptocurrency transactions for 2024-25 in response to a question in the Rajya Sabha.
• Transaction Value: Crypto transactions reached ₹51,000 crore in 2024-25, marking a 41% rise.
• Tax Collection: Authorities collected ₹511.8 crore as Tax Deducted at Source (TDS).
• Undisclosed Income: The Income Tax Department detected ₹888.82 crore in undisclosed income linked to virtual digital assets (VDA).
• ED Action: The Enforcement Directorate (ED) attached over ₹4,000 crore as proceeds of crime under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA), 2002.
• Virtual Digital Asset: The Income Tax Act, 1961, uses this term to classify cryptocurrencies, Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and similar digital assets.

India’s Tax Provisions for Cryptocurrency:-

Tax Rates

• Flat Tax: A flat 30% tax applies on VDA transfer income, excluding surcharge and 4% cess.
• Uniform: This 30% rate applies to all taxpayers irrespective of the income tax slab.
• Cost Deduction: Only the acquisition cost may be deducted when calculating taxable crypto profit.
• GST Rule: No GST applies to the crypto asset, but 18% GST is levied on platform service fees.

Loss and TDS

• Loss Restriction: Losses from one crypto asset cannot offset gains from another crypto asset.
• Carry-Forward: Crypto-related losses cannot be carried forward to later financial years.
• TDS: A 1% TDS applies on crypto transfers above ₹50,000 for specified persons or ₹10,000 for all others.

Gift and Reporting

• Gift Tax: Crypto received as a gift becomes taxable at slab rates when the value exceeds ₹50,000.
• Exemption: Gifts from defined relatives such as spouse, siblings, and lineal family are exempt.
• ITR Reporting: Crypto gains must be reported in Schedule VDA of the Income Tax Return.

Dumping

• The U.S. is considering new tariffs on Indian rice after American farmers accused India of dumping subsidised rice into the U.S. market, lowering domestic prices.

What is Dumping?

• Dumping occurs when a firm sells a product in a foreign market at a price lower than its domestic price or below its average cost of production, often to capture market share.
• It is a form of international price discrimination, enabled when goods cannot freely move back from low-price to high-price markets due to tariffs or transport costs.

Criteria to Determine Dumping

A product is considered dumped if:

• Export price < domestic market price of the exporting country; or  Domestic price unavailable, then compare export price with:
• Price in a third-country market, or Exporter’s average production cost.

If any of these tests confirm under-pricing, the importing country can initiate anti-dumping action.

Implications of Dumping:

• Hurts domestic producers by undercutting prices and eroding market share, leading to losses and job reductions.
• Short-term benefit to consumers through cheaper imports but long-term harm when domestic industry becomes uncompetitive.
• Market distortion occurs when firms rely on subsidies to artificially lower prices, creating trade tensions.

WTO and Dumping Rules:

The WTO does not ban dumping, but allows countries to act only if they prove:

1. Dumping has occurred,
2. Domestic industry suffered material injury, and
3. Dumping caused this injury.

Countries may impose anti-dumping duties equal to the margin of dumping (difference between dumped price and normal price).

Measures to Counter Dumping:

• Anti-dumping duties: Additional tariffs matching the price difference (as the U.S. is considering against Indian rice).
• Countervailing duties: Tariffs to offset foreign government subsidies.
• Import quotas: Limits to prevent market flooding.
• Price undertakings: Exporter voluntarily raises prices to avoid penalties.
• Strengthening domestic industry: Support for productivity, tech upgrades, and diversification to withstand imported competition.

IMF Lists UPI as World’s Largest Real-Time Payment System

• The IMF has officially recognised India’s Unified Payments Interface (UPI) as the world’s largest real-time retail payment system by transaction volume.
• UPI accounts for 49% of all global real-time digital payments, far ahead of Brazil, Thailand and China.

What is UPI ?

• UPI (Unified Payments Interface) is India’s instant, real-time, interoperable payments system that enables bank-to-bank transfers using a mobile phone.
• It is operated by NPCI (National Payments Corporation of India) and regulated by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI).

Origin of UPI:

• Conceptualised by NPCI to unify fragmented payment systems under one interoperable platform.
• Launched as a pilot in April 2016 by then RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan.

Key Features of UPI

• Real-time payments: Money transfers in under 5 seconds, 24×7.
• Interoperability: Works across banks, apps, QR codes and merchants.
• Low-cost / Zero MDR: Ensures mass adoption among small businesses and consumers.
• Scalable architecture: Handles billions of transactions per month.
• Versatility: Supports P2P, P2M, autopay, credit line on UPI, RuPay linkage, and international acceptance.

Global Share & IMF Recognition

IMF’s report “Growing Retail Digital Payments – The Value of Interoperability” lists UPI as the world’s largest retail fast-payment system.

As per ACI Worldwide (Prime Time for Real-Time 2024):

UPI share: 49% of global real-time transactions

Volume: 129.3 billion transactions

UPI outperforms:

1. Brazil (14%) – Pix
2. Thailand (8%) – PromptPay
3. China (6%) – UnionPay/WeChat/Alipay

This makes India the undisputed global leader in fast payments.

                                                                                                                                                                             (Source:  PIB)

Saudi UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC)

• UNESCO has added three more Saudi cities — Riyadh, AlUla, and Riyadh Al-Khabra — to the Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) in its 2025 update.

Saudi UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC)

• The GNLC is a UNESCO-led international network that recognises cities promoting lifelong learning across all age groups through inclusive, accessible, and sustainable learning ecosystems.

History:

• Established in 2013, GNLC has grown rapidly and today includes 425 cities from 91 countries, supporting lifelong learning opportunities for nearly 500 million people.
• It forms part of UNESCO’s Education 2030 agenda and the SDG-4 mandate.

Key Features of a UNESCO Learning City

Learning cities must demonstrate-

• Lifelong learning systems: Education integrated across formal, non-formal, workplace, and community settings.
• Digital and AI readiness: Preparing citizens for future labour markets and technological shifts.
• Literacy & skills development: Targeted programmes for youth, adults, and marginalised groups.
• Innovation & entrepreneurship: Platforms for creativity, startup culture, and workforce reskilling.
• Sustainability & inclusion: Learning linked to SDGs, environmental responsibility, and social equity.

Saudi Arabia’s Recent Addition:

• UNESCO recognised Riyadh, AlUla, and Riyadh Al-Khabra for meeting rigorous global benchmarks of community-wide learning.
• Saudi’s total GNLC membership: 8 cities.
• The expansion aligns with Saudi Vision 2030 and the Human Capability Development Program.

India and the Global Learning Cities Network:

India has three GNLC cities (2022 cohort):

1. Warangal (Telangana)
2. Thrissur (Kerala)
3. Nilambur (Kerala)

These cities were recognised for integrating learning in public spaces, literacy programmes, and community participation.

Washington Accords

• The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda signed the Washington Accords to reinforce peace commitments and advance regional economic cooperation.

Washington Accords

• The Washington Accords for Peace and Prosperity is a US-brokered peace and economic agreement between the DRC and Rwanda, formally signed in Washington on 4 December 2025.
• It reaffirms the June 27, 2025, peace agreement, requiring Rwanda to withdraw troops from eastern DRC and the DRC to end support for extremist groups working against Rwanda.
• The Accords incorporate the Regional Economic Integration Framework, aimed at joint development of energy, infrastructure and critical minerals, with a role for US private investment.
• A Joint Oversight Committee, including the DRC, Rwanda, the US, Qatar and the African Union (AU) representatives, monitors security actions like troop withdrawal and disarmament deadlines.

United Nations Environment Assembly

• Seventh United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA) opens amid disagreement over United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)’s draft Medium-Term Strategy.
• UNEP Medium-Term Strategy is a five-year plan approved by UNEA that sets UNEP’s priority areas, targets, and funding framework.

United Nations Environment Assembly:-

• Established in 2012 at Rio+20 as the world’s highest environmental decision-making body with universal membership of all 193 United Nations (UN) member states.
• Serves as the governing body of UNEP, approving its Programme of Work and Budget, and setting global environmental mandates and priorities.
• Meets biennially in Nairobi, Kenya, and its resolutions are non-binding but influence global environmental governance, norms, and cooperation.
• The UNEA Bureau, elected for a two-year term, consists of a President and eight Vice-Presidents and is responsible for organising and coordinating the Assembly’s sessions.

World’s Largest Spider Web Found in Vromoner Canyon

• The world’s largest single colonial spider web, covering 106 square metres, was found inside a sulfur-rich cave in Vromoner Canyon on the Albania-Greece border.
• Spider Species: The colony consisted of the barn funnel weaver and the smaller dwarf weaver species.
• Both species are normally solitary, and the barn funnel weaver typically preys on the dwarf weaver.
• Cave Effect: The cave’s total darkness limits visual hunting, allowing the species to coexist peacefully.
• High hydrogen sulfide levels in the cave support large midge populations, which remove the need for competition.

India International Science Festival (IISF) 2025

• The 11th India International Science Festival, IISF 2025, is taking place in Panchkula, Haryana.
• Objective: To promote scientific temper, encourage private-sector participation, and facilitate technology transfer from labs to industries and society.
• Theme: The 2025 edition is based on “Vigyan Se Samruddhi: for Aatmanirbhar Bharat” (Prosperity through Science: for a Self-Reliant India).
• Organisers: The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES), along with IITM Pune and key scientific departments like DST, DBT, CSIR, DAE, the Department of Space and Vijnana Bharati (VIBHA).
• Key Focus Areas: Includes ecology of North-West India and the Himalayas, Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Technologies, and Blue Economy.
• Significance: IISF serves as a national platform aligning scientific progress with long-term goals like Aatmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat @2047.

C-130J Super Hercules Aircraft

• Tata Advanced Systems and Lockheed Martin have begun construction of a Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facility in Bengaluru to service the C-130J Super Hercules aircraft.

About C-130J Super Hercules Aircraft

• A four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft developed by Lockheed Martin (US) for tactical airlift, airdrop missions and short/rough runway operations.
• It is the latest variant of the C-130 series featuring modern digital avionics, improved fuel efficiency and performance; it needs a minimal crew (2 pilots + 1 loadmaster).
• It is capable of short take-off and landing (STOL) with~19 tonnes payload capacity, 6,850 km range (no payload) and endurance of 20 hours.
• The Indian Air Force operates 12 C-130J aircraft, deployed for special operations, disaster relief, high-altitude logistics (including Ladakh), and humanitarian missions.
• Turboprop aircraft are gas-turbine engine-powered, more fuel-efficient, and suited for short runways, but slower than jet aircraft. Commonly used as a transport aircraft.