50th anniversary of the Biological Weapons Convention

• India hosted the international conference “50 Years of BWC: Strengthening Biosecurity for the Global South” in New Delhi to mark the 50th anniversary of the Biological Weapons Convention’s entry into force.

Biological Weapons Convention:

• The Biological Weapons Convention (BWC) is the world’s first multilateral disarmament treaty banning an entire category of weapons of mass destruction.
• It prohibits the development, production, stockpiling, acquisition, transfer and use of biological and toxin weapons.

Established-

• Opened for signature: 10 April 1972 (London, Moscow, Washington)
• Entered into force: 26 March 1975
• India is a founding State Party and one of the 189 signatories committed to full compliance.

Key Features of the Biological Weapons Convention

Core Prohibitions (Articles I–III):

• No development, stockpiling, or use of biological and toxin weapons.
• Obligation to destroy existing stockpiles.
• Review Conferences: Held roughly every five years to update norms, address technological advances and strengthen global governance.
• International Cooperation (Article X): Promotes peaceful use of biological science, especially capacity building for developing countries.
• Global Norm Against Bioweapons: Today no state openly acknowledges possessing or seeking biological weapons, reflecting strong normative acceptance.
• Political, Not Legal, Enforcement Mechanisms: Complaints mechanism exists (Article VI) but rarely used.

Issues within the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC)

• No Verification: BWC has no independent compliance system to inspect laboratories or monitor threats.
• No Technical Body: Lacks a permanent scientific institution to track emerging bio-risks.
• No Reporting Norms: Countries are not required to submit transparent research logs or lab inventories.
• Limited Enforcement: Violations are hard to investigate; only 19% of member states submit confidence-building reports regularly.

Significance:

• The BWC remains the primary global bulwark against biological weapons.
• Rapid advances in AI, synthetic biology, gene editing, gain-of-function research pose new risks requiring updated oversight.
• The Global South faces greater vulnerabilities—weak infrastructure, disease burden, limited biosafety systems—making BWC reforms crucial.

India Re-Elected to UNESCO Executive Board for 2025–29

• India has been re-elected to the UNESCO Executive Board for the 2025–29 term, reaffirming global confidence in its leadership in multilateral governance.

What the UNESCO Executive Board Is?

• The Executive Board is one of UNESCO’s three constitutional organs responsible for supervising programme implementation and providing strategic direction to the organisation.
• Established : UNESCO was created in 1945, and the Executive Board became its core governing body soon after the Constitution came into force in 1946.
• Headquarters: UNESCO and its Executive Board operate from Paris, France.

Composition and Membership

• The Board consists of 58 Member States each elected for a four-year term by the General Conference.
• Members are selected through regional electoral groups to ensure equitable representation.

Mandate and Functions

• Examines UNESCO’s programme of work and the corresponding budget submitted by the Director-General.
• Prepares and submits recommendations for the agenda of the General Conference.
• Makes recommendations regarding admission of new Member States.
• Advises on the appointment of the Director-General.
• Supervises execution of programmes adopted by the General Conference.
• Convenes international conferences related to education, science, culture and knowledge dissemination.

Significance of India’s Re-Election:

• Reinforces India’s global standing as a champion of inclusive, human-centric development.
• Enables India to shape UNESCO priorities in areas such as education reform, digital inclusion, cultural heritage protection, climate-science cooperation and media literacy.

ST Status for Six Communities in Assam

• A Group of Ministers in Assam has submitted an interim report recommending Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for six communities.
• Six Communities: The proposed beneficiary communities are (1) Ahom, (2) Chutia, (3) Moran, (4) Matak, (5) Koch-Rajbongshi, and (6) the Tea Tribes.
• New Classification: The report also recommends a three-tier ST framework to safeguard the existing rights of recognised tribal communities.

Key Recommendations by the Interim Report

1. Structural & Reservation Framework

• New Structure: The report proposes a three-tier Scheduled Tribe framework for Assam comprising ST (Plains), ST (Hills), and a newly created ST (Valley).
• Valley Inclusion: The ST (Valley) category will include Tai Ahom, Chutia, Tea Tribes, and Koch-Rajbongshi (excluding those in undivided Goalpara).
• Quota Protection: Existing reservation quotas for ST (Plains) and ST (Hills) must remain fully protected under the new system.
• Separate Roster: The new ST (Valley) category must have an independent reservation roster, quota, and vacancy register for state-level recruitment and admissions.
• Central Pool: All notified ST communities should compete within a single, common ST pool for central government reservation benefits.

       2. Cultural and Political Safeguards

• Interim Privileges: All land-related protections currently enjoyed by existing STs must be immediately extended to the six communities until their statutory inclusion is completed.
• Cultural Oversight: The cultural practices, languages, and customs of the six communities should come under the Department of Indigenous and Tribal Faith and Culture.
• LS Reservation: The two Lok Sabha constituencies covering the Sixth Schedule areas should be permanently reserved for existing STs through a constitutional amendment.

Procedure for Inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) List

• State Proposal: The process begins when a State or UT government submits a formal proposal to the Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) to add, remove, or modify a community in the ST list.
• MoTA Review: The Ministry of Tribal Affairs reviews the proposal and verifies all supporting evidence and documentation.
• RGI Examination: MoTA forwards the proposal to the Office of the Registrar General of India (RGI) for ethnographic assessment and formal approval.
• NCST Scrutiny: After RGI clearance, the proposal is referred to the National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) for its recommendations.
• Cabinet Approval: Once the NCST recommends the proposal, MoTA prepares a Cabinet note and seeks approval from the Union Cabinet.
• Parliament & Notification: After Cabinet approval, the proposal is introduced in Parliament and must be passed by a simple majority.
• Presidential Notification: Once Parliament enacts the amendment, the President issues a notification updating the ST list.

National Beekeeping and Honey Mission

• India has increased honey production from 76,000 MT to over 1.5 lakh MT in the last decade and has tripled its exports recently.
• The achievement is attributed to the government’s “Sweet Revolution” initiative, carried out through the National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM).

National Beekeeping and Honey Mission - NBHM

• The NBHM is a Central Sector Scheme under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare to promote and develop quality honey and beehive products.
• Launched under Atmanirbhar Bharat for FY 2020–21 to 2022–23; it has been extended to FY 2025–26.
• Objective: Enhance honey production, increase crop yields through scientific beekeeping and pollination, and raise beekeepers’ incomes.
• Implementing Body: The National Bee Board (NBB) implements the mission.

Mission Structure: NBHM operates through three sub-missions covering production, post-harvest management, and research.

• Mini Mission-I: Increases honey and hive-product yield by encouraging scientific beekeeping and the adoption of modern equipment.
• Mini Mission-II: Develops infrastructure for honey testing, processing, storage, value addition, and organised market access.
• Mini Mission-III: Supports region-specific research and development to address diverse agro-climatic and socio-economic conditions across states.

Key initiatives under the NBHM

• Digital Support: The Madhukranti Portal facilitates honey registration and traceability to prevent adulteration and promote transparency for consumers.
• Institutional Support: Beekeeper collectives through Farmer-Producer Organisations (FPOs), Self-Help Groups (SHGs), and cooperatives promote women-focused capacity building.
• Skill Development: Training programs, exposure visits, and technology dissemination to promote high-value hive products such as royal jelly and beeswax.
• Research Facility: The National Centre of Excellence in Beekeeping at IIT, Roorkee, was established for scientific innovation and advanced sectoral training.

Other Initiatives for Honey Production

• KVIC’s Honey Mission: The Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) offers training, bee boxes, and toolkits to rural youth and farmers to promote sustainable livelihoods.
• Export Support: The APEDA strengthens export readiness through quality certification, laboratory testing, and enforcement of a Minimum Export Price mechanism.
• GI Tags Support: Geographical Indication tags for unique regional honeys, such as Ramban Sulai Honey (J&K) and Sundarban Mouban Honey (WB), boost branding and market access.

Renaming Raj Bhavans

• The Union Home Ministry has written to all States & Union Territories proposing renaming Raj Bhavans as Lok Bhavans and Raj Niwas as Lok Niwas to remove colonial connotation.
• West Bengal and Ladakh accepted the proposal and changed names accordingly.

Raj Bhavan:-

• Role: Official residence & office of the Governor, the constitutional head of the State under Article 153.
• Raj Niwas is the Raj Bhavan equivalent at the Union Territory level, serving the Lieutenant Governors and Administrators of Union Territories.
• Protocol: Comparable to Rashtrapati Bhavan at the Union level; hosts swearing-in ceremonies, official meetings and visiting dignitaries.
• Constitutional Basis: Article 158 entitles the Governor to a rent-free official residence; if one Governor is appointed to more than one State, one Raj Bhavan is designated as the principal official residence.
• Colonial Origin: Most Raj Bhavans trace their origin to British-era government houses used by Governors or Lieutenant-Governors in provinces.
• Kolkata Raj Bhavan was built in 1803 as the Governor-General’s house.
• Symbolism: The transition from ‘Raj’ to ‘Lok’ seeks to replace colonial ways of authority and hierarchy with people-centric governance.

CEC Chairmanship of International IDEA

• India’s Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar will assume the Chair ship of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) on December 3, 2025, in Stockholm.

The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA):

• An intergovernmental organisation dedicated exclusively to supporting and strengthening democratic institutions, processes and norms worldwide.
• Establishment: Founded in 1995 as a global platform for democracy support, with its headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden.

Membership:

• Started with 14 founding members including India, Norway, Spain, Australia and South Africa.
• Today has 35 member countries, with the US and Japan as observers.
• Holds UN General Assembly Observer Status since 2003.
• Aim: To advance and safeguard sustainable democracy by generating comparative knowledge, strengthening electoral institutions, supporting reforms, and promoting rule of law, participation, and inclusion.

Core Functions

• Knowledge Production: Research on elections, political parties, constitutions, governance and democratic innovations.
• Capacity Building: Training Election Management Bodies (EMBs), political parties and democratic institutions.
• Advocacy: Promoting global democratic standards and electoral integrity.
• Dialogue Convening: Facilitating international exchanges among policymakers, civil society and regional bodies.
• Technical Assistance: Advising countries on electoral reforms, institutional design and democratic resilience.

Significance

• Only global intergovernmental organisation with a sole mandate to support democracy.
• Provides a “virtuous cycle” of research → capacity building → advocacy → policy reform.
• India’s chair ship enhances its global leadership in election management, sharing expertise from administering elections to 90+ crore voters.

Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025

• Assam has passed the Assam Prohibition of Polygamy Bill, 2025, becoming the second state after Uttarakhand to ban polygamy.

Polygamy in India:

• Polygamy refers to a marital system where one person has more than one spouse at the same time. In India, it is regulated differently across religions, states, and tribal customs.

Historical Context:

• Traditionally practiced in several communities, polygamy was restricted over time through religion-specific reforms — e.g., the Hindu Marriage Act (1955) outlawed bigamy for Hindus.
• Muslim personal law historically permitted up to four wives; tribal groups followed customary practices recognized by the Constitution.

Laws Governing:

• Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Sikhs – Bigamy prohibited under the Hindu Marriage Act, 1955; second marriages deemed void.
• Parsis - Prohibited under Parsi Marriage & Divorce Act, 1936.
• Christians - Prohibited under the Indian Christian Marriage Act, 1872.
• Muslims - Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Act, 1937 allows Muslim men to have up to four wives; hence not criminal under BNS Section 82.
• Goa - Under the Portuguese Civil Code, monogamy is the rule for all; a unique historical clause allows a Hindu man a second marriage under rare conditions (unused since 1910).
• Tribal Groups - Exempt under the Constitution (Fifth & Sixth Schedule); customary laws prevail.

Recent State-Level Bans

• Uttarakhand UCC (2024): Outlaws bigamy for all residents except Scheduled Tribes.
• Assam Bill (2025): Makes polygamy a cognisable, non-bailable offence; penalties up to 7–10 years; bars convicts from government jobs and elections; tribal areas exempt.

Significance:

• Reflects push toward gender justice and uniform legal standards in marriage.
• Tests the legal boundary between personal law autonomy and legislative reform.
• Raises questions on minority rights, state powers, and the future trajectory of UCC in India.

World Health Organization (WHO) issues Global Guideline on the use of GLP-1 Medicines in treating Obesity

• WHO conditionally recommends GLP-1 therapies for obesity as part of a broader approach including healthy diet, physical activity, and professional support.
• These guidelines provides recommendations specifically for three GLP-1 drugs used in the long-term treatment of obesity in adults i.e. liraglutide, semaglutide and tirzepatide.

GLP-1 drugs or GLP-1 agonists:

• These are a class of drugs that mimic the hormone Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 (GLP-1), which is naturally released from the gut after meals.
• GLP-1 receptor agonists help control blood sugar by increasing insulin when needed and reducing glucagon.
• They also slow digestion and reduce appetite, leading to better satiety and weight loss.
•  They are used mainly for Type 2 Diabetes and obesity management.

About Obesity & its status:

• Obesity is defined by excessive fat deposits leading to increased risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease etc. It is having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or higher in adults.
• BMI is calculated by dividing a person's weight in kilograms by their height in meters squared (kg/m²).
• It affects more than 1 billion people and is associated with 3.7 million deaths worldwide in 2024.
• 24% of Indian women and 23% of Indian men are obese. (NFHS-5 (2019-21)).

Software Defined Radios  

• The Indian Army has signed a contract to procure its first indigenously designed and manufactured Software Defined Radios (SDRs) developed by DRDO and produced by BEL.

Software Defined Radios

• Software-defined radios replace fixed hardware components with software-based signal processing, enabling rapid reconfiguration for secure, multi-band, multi-mode communication.
• Features: High data rates, encryption capability, and Mobile Ad hoc Network (MANET) support for resilient, self-healing communication links in battlefield environments.
• Interoperability: Standardised through the Indian Radio Software Architecture (IRSA) framework, enabling waveform portability and seamless communication among tri-services.
• Applications: Defence communication, tactical data links, radar, electronic warfare, telecom networks and emerging Internet of Things (IoT) architectures.

Global Indices for Reforms and Growth (GIRG)

• The Government of India has undertaken the Global Indices for Reforms and Growth (GIRG) initiative for driving reforms and growth in the country.

Global Indices for Reforms and Growth (GIRG) Framework

• Purpose: It monitors India’s performance on selected global indices to identify gaps and guide evidence-based reforms.
• Coverage: Tracks 26 indices across four broad themes: economy, governance, development, and industry, released by 16 international agencies.
• Implementation: 17 nodal ministries are assigned specific indices.
• The Development Monitoring and Evaluation Office (DMEO), NITI Aayog coordinates data quality checks, methodology review, and reform implementation.
• Significance: Enhances transparency, strengthens policymaking, boosts India’s global competitiveness, and supports cooperative and competitive federalism.