CURRENT AFFAIRS 30 December, 2025

CURRENT AFFAIRS 30 December, 2025

1. RASHTRA PRERNA STHAL –

• The Prime Minister (PM) inaugurated the Rashtra Prerna Sthal in Lucknow on the 101st birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, dedicating it to the ideals of unity, self-respect, and service.
• Multi-Leader Tribute: The site honors Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay, and Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee with 65-feet bronze statues and a lotus-shaped museum.
• Atal Bihari Vajpayee: He served as India’s PM 3 times—in 1996, 1998–1999, and 1999–2004—and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan (1994) and the Bharat Ratna (2015). His birth anniversary (25th December) is observed as Good Governance Day.
• Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay: He was an Indian politician and ideologue of RSS  and Bharatiya Jana Sangh, focused on Antyodaya—uplifting the most disadvantaged. His philosophy of Integral Humanism emphasized social justice and self-reliance, and his birth anniversary (25th September) is observed as Antyodaya Diwas.
• Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee: He was an Indian politician, the youngest Vice-Chancellor of Calcutta University (1934), and founder of the Bharatiya Jan Sangh (1951), which later evolved into the Bharatiya Janata Party. He famously opposed Article 370, arguing one nation cannot have two constitutions, two heads, or two flags, and was known for his sharp parliamentary debates, earning the title The Lion of Parliament.

2. AUSTRALIA TO ELIMINATE TARIFFS ON 100% OF INDIAN EXPORTS –

• Under the India-Australia Economic Cooperation and Trade Agreement (Ind-Aus ECTA) Australia will provide duty-free access to 100% of Indian exports from 1 January 2026, marking a major milestone in bilateral trade relations.
• The ECTA, operational since December 2022, was an early-harvest deal, while negotiations for a broader India-Australia Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement (CECA) are currently underway.
• Impact: Over three years, ECTA has delivered sustained export growth, wider market access, and stronger supply-chain resilience, benefiting exporters, MSMEs, farmers, and workers.
• Growth: India’s exports to Australia rose by 8% in 2024–25, improving the trade balance, with strong gains across manufacturing, chemicals, textiles, plastics, pharmaceuticals, petroleum products, and gems & jewellery.
• Boost to Agriculture: Agri-exports witnessed broad-based expansion with sharp rise in fruits & vegetables, marine products, spices, and exceptional growth in coffee exports.
• Support to Labour-Intensive Sectors: Full tariff removal is expected to unlock opportunities for MSMEs, farmers, and labour-intensive industries, enhancing employment and income generation.
• Significance: ECTA has strengthened supply-chain resilience, market diversification, and India’s Indo-Pacific economic integration.

3. KHALEDA ZIA DEATH MARKS END OF BANGLADESH POLITICAL ERA –

• Bangladesh lost one of its most influential political figures on Tuesday with the death of former Prime Minister and Bangladesh Nationalist Party chairperson Khaleda Zia at the age of 80. Her passing closes a defining chapter in the country’s post-independence politics, shaped by intense rivalry, alternating governments, and landmark democratic transitions.

Long Illness and Final Days

• Khaleda Zia died in Dhaka after months in critical condition. She was receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of Evercare Hospital following a prolonged battle with multiple chronic illnesses. These included heart disease, kidney and liver complications, diabetes, respiratory problems, arthritis, and eye-related conditions. Medical records confirm she had a permanent pacemaker and had earlier undergone cardiac stent procedures. Since returning from London in May after advanced treatment, her health remained fragile despite continuous monitoring.

4. INDIA SET TO BECOME THIRD-LARGEST ECONOMY BY 2030 –

• India has emerged as the world’s fourth-largest economy with a GDP of $4.18 trillion, overtaking Japan. Official projections now indicate that India is on track to surpass Germany within the next three years, reaching an estimated GDP of $7.3 trillion by 2030. This milestone reflects sustained economic momentum despite global trade and policy uncertainties.

Strong GDP Growth In FY 2025–26

• India’s real GDP grew by 8.2 per cent in the second quarter of FY 2025–26, marking a six-quarter high. This follows growth of 7.8 per cent in the previous quarter and 7.4 per cent in Q4 of FY 2024–25. Real gross value added (GVA) also expanded by 8.1 per cent, driven largely by industrial output and services sector expansion, highlighting the economy’s resilience.

Domestic Demand As Key Growth Driver

• Robust private consumption has remained central to India’s growth story. High-frequency indicators suggest sustained activity, with declining unemployment, improving export performance, and strong credit flows to the commercial sector. Urban consumption has strengthened further, supported by stable financial conditions and benign inflation, which has stayed below the lower tolerance threshold.

5. INDIA LAUNCHES ₹7,000 CRORE SCHEME FOR RARE EARTH MAGNETS –

• India has taken a major strategic step to secure its critical mineral supply chain by approving a ₹7,000 crore scheme to promote domestic manufacturing of sintered rare earth permanent magnets. The initiative aims to reduce import dependence, strengthen industrial self-reliance and support high-growth sectors vital to the country’s long-term economic and strategic goals.

Rare Earth Resource Base in India

• India possesses a substantial reserve of rare earth minerals distributed across both coastal and inland regions. These minerals occur in beach sands, red sands and inland alluvium in states such as Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Maharashtra. These deposits provide the raw material base necessary to support an integrated domestic rare earth ecosystem.

MCQ QUIZ

Q1.   INS Vagsheer, that was recently seen in news, belongs to which class of submarines ?

1. a) Arihant-class
2. b) Kalvari-class
3. c) Chakra-class
4. d) Shishumar-class

Q2.   Which Indian ride-hailing platform has begun pilot operations in Delhi and Gujarat, marking a cooperative model for cab services?

1. a) Ola
2. b) Uber
3. c) Rapido
4. d) Bharat Taxi

Q3.   Which national intelligence platform has been linked with the National Population Register (NPR) to enhance intelligence gathering and internal security in India ?

1. a) National Intelligence Grid (NATGRID)
2. b) National Investigation Agency (NIA)
3. c) Research and Analysis Wing (RAW)
4. d) Intelligence Bureau (IB)

Q4.   Consider the following pairs:

1. Military Exercise : Participating Nation (with India)
2. Desert Cyclone : UAE
3. Hand-in-Hand : China
4. Surya Kiran : Nepal
5. Garuda Shakti : Indonesia

          How many of the above pairs are correctly matched ?

1. a) Only one pair
2. b) Only two pairs
3. c) Only three pairs
4. d) All four pairs

Explanation-

• Desert Cyclone is with the UAE. Hand-in-Hand is the traditional (though currently suspended) exercise with China.
• Surya Kiran is with Nepal, and Garuda Shakti is with Indonesia. These exercises are part of India’s military diplomacy, aimed at enhancing mutual understanding of tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs) and preparing for peacekeeping or counter-terrorism operations.

Q5.   Which of the following features are integral to the functioning of the PRAGATI platform ?

1. Real-time project monitoring
2. Geo-spatial mapping
3. Video conferencing for inter-agency coordination
4. Artificial Intelligence–based predictive policing

          Select the correct answer using the code given below:

1. a) 1 and 2 only
2. b) 1,3 and 4 only
3. c) 1, 2 and 3 only
4. d) 1, 2, 3 and 4

Explanation-

• PRAGATI integrates real-time tracking, geo-spatial data, and video conferencing to monitor key infrastructure projects.
• Predictive policing using AI is not a core component of PRAGATI.

Answer Key