NATIONAL AFFAIRS

NITI Aayog Roadmap: Internationalisation of Higher Education

NITI Aayog has outlined a comprehensive strategy to transform India into a premier global higher education and research hub by 2047.

• Collaborative Design: Developed by NITI Aayog's Education Division alongside IIT Madras, the Association of Indian Universities (AIU), and Acumen.
• Core Philosophy: Centers heavily on "internationalisation at home" as envisioned by the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
• Framework Matrix: Features 22 Policy Recommendations, 76 Action Pathways, and 125 Performance Success Indicators.
• Enrollment Projections: The report utilizes two forecasting models to chart international student inflows:

Maritime Heritage: India & Netherlands Sign MoU

India and the Netherlands signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in New Delhi to elevate cooperation in maritime historical preservation.

• Project Integration: The agreement directly supports the upcoming National Maritime Heritage Complex (NMHC) being constructed at the ancient Harappan port of Lothal, Gujarat under the Ministry of Ports, Shipping & Waterways' Sagarmala Programme.
• Knowledge Alliance: The National Maritime Museum in Amsterdam joins as the primary technical expertise and knowledge partner to share global best practices in museum design, curation, and visitor engagement.

PFRDA Overhauls National Pension System (NPS) Exits

The Pension Fund Regulatory and Development Authority (PFRDA) introduced sweeping updates to the PFRDA (Exits and Withdrawals under the NPS) Regulations. These changes heavily streamline procedures for the non-government sector (All Citizen and Corporate models):

• Lock-in Abolished: The mandatory 5-year lock-in period for premature exit has been entirely removed for the All Citizen model.
• Vesting Terms: Normal exit qualification for the All Citizen model requires a 15-year subscription tenure or reaching 60 years of age, whichever occurs earlier.
• Lump Sum Boost: Subscribers can now access up to 80% of their total corpus as a lump sum (raised from the previous 60% cap), with the remaining minimum 20% reserved for annuity procurement.
• Age Ceiling: The maximum age to remain actively invested in the NPS has been extended from 75 years to 85 years across all subscriber sectors.
• Withdrawal Frequency:
  • Pre-Superannuation/60 Years: Max 4 lifetime withdrawals allowed, with a mandatory 4-year gap between intervals.
  • Post-Superannuation/60 Years: Unlimited frequency allowed, subject to a minimum 3-year gap between intervals.

Defence Infrastructure: IOL & Safran Partner for Local Systems

India Optel Limited (IOL), a Mini Navratna Defence Public Sector Undertaking, signed an advanced technology transfer and collaboration pact with Safran Electronics & Defense, France.

• Manufacturing Mandate: The partnership brings high-precision, combat-proven equipment assembly to India to cut import liabilities.
• Systems Covered:
  1. SIGMA 30N DRLG INS: A Digital Ring Laser Gyro Inertial Navigation System that grants heavy artillery, radars, and missile systems standalone, GPS-independent targeting and position tracking.
  2. CM3-MR DFS: A Direct Firing Sight engineered to maximize battlefield targeting accuracy for direct-fire artillery and counter-drone systems.

Indian Army & NSUT Ink Software and AI Pact

The Indian Army formalized an MoU with Netaji Subhas University of Technology (NSUT), New Delhi, to co-develop custom software architecture and AI frameworks for critical defense use cases.

• Focus Tracks: Joint teams will engineer specialized algorithms for advanced surveillance, threat discovery, automated logistics support, and data analytics. NSUT will also run dedicated Faculty Development Programmes (FDPs) to upskill military personnel in Data Science and cybersecurity.
• Immersive Training Win: In a related technology drive, Indian AI-on-Edge startup Enord Private Limited secured a multi-crore contract to supply over 700 indigenous Virtual Reality (VR) drone training simulators to 19 Category-A Army establishments, enabling safe, high-fidelity mission rehearsals.

NCW Rolls Out 'SHAKTI Scholars' Fellowship

The National Commission for Women (NCW) launched the SHAKTI Scholars: NCW Young Research Fellowship to drive action-oriented policies for women's development.

• Eligibility & Duration: Open to Indian citizens aged 21–30 holding at least a Bachelor’s degree. The fellowship covers a 6-month independent project.
• Financial backing: Selected scholars receive a research grant of Rs 1,00,000, disbursed based on milestone progression.
• Research Verticals: Covers workplace sexual harassment frameworks (POSH implementation), Gender-Based Violence (GBV), digital safety, cybercrime, and economic labor participation.

Academic Alliance: IDRBT & IIIT-Hyderabad

The Institute for Development and Research in Banking Technology (IDRBT) and the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad (IIIT-H) signed an agreement to synergize academic research.

• Thrust Areas: Collaborative PhD-level research focused on advanced cryptography, secure blockchain frameworks, digital payment network optimization, and vulnerability tracking.
• FinTech AI: The institutes will focus heavily on designing and benchmarking Specialized Large Models (SLMs) customized for specific Banking, Financial Services, and Insurance (BFSI) applications.

DeepTech: JNCASR & CrisprBits CoE

The Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) executed a Letter of Intent (LoI) with CrisprBits Private Limited to establish a milestone Centre of Excellence for CRISPR Innovation and Translation (CoE-CIT).

• Significance: Operates as one of India's pioneering Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) in gene-editing sciences, focusing on converting laboratory discoveries directly into bedside clinical drugs and genetic therapeutic treatments.

BANKING & FINANCE

Canara Bank Launches 'Canara ai1Pe'

Canara Bank launched its new, comprehensive UPI application, Canara ai1Pe, designed to offer multi-bank ecosystem services.

• Open Architecture: Allows users to link and execute transactions from savings or current accounts held across any banking institution.
• UPI Delegate Feature: Introduces a shared expense framework, allowing primary users to authorize family members as delegates with hardwired monthly spending limits.

Paytm Expansion: New Subsidiaries in Indonesia & Luxembourg

One97 Communications Limited approved an international expansion strategy through its cloud arm, Paytm Cloud Technologies Limited (PCTL).

• Global Footprint: PCTL will deploy up to Rs 25 crore each to establish wholly owned financial and payment services subsidiaries in Indonesia and Luxembourg.
• Middle East Restructuring: PCTL is diluting its stake in its UAE arm, Paytm Arab Payments L.L.C. (PAPL). Abbar Global Opportunities Holdings Limited (AGOHL) will pick up a 49% stake for approximately Rs 19 crore, leaving PCTL as the 51% majority owner.

ECONOMY & BUSINESS

Semiconductor Supply Chain: ROHM Partners with TEPL

Japanese semiconductor designer ROHM Company Limited partnered with Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL) to set up advanced manufacturing nodes in India.

• Production Focus: The joint initiative centers on high-value power semiconductors, initially prioritizing automotive-grade N-channel 100V, 300A Si MOSFETs in space-saving TOLL packaging.
• Roadmap: TEPL will handle advanced assembly and testing infrastructure, aiming for full commercial mass production by 2026.

SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY

Indian Navy Receives Third Anti-Submarine Craft 'INS Anjadip'

Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers (GRSE) Limited successfully delivered INS Anjadip to the Indian Navy at Chennai Port Trust.

• Lineage & Class: The vessel is the third of eight planned Anti-Submarine Warfare Shallow Water Crafts (ASW SWC) and belongs to the indigenous Arnala class (named after an island near Karwar, Karnataka).
• Specifications & Striking Power:
  • Measures 77 meters in length with a compact 2.7-meter shallow draught ideal for stealthy coastal operations.
  • Achieves speeds up to 25 knots via triple water-jet propulsion systems.
  • Armed with advanced shallow-water SONAR arrays, lightweight anti-submarine torpedoes, indigenously built ASW rocket launchers, and a 30mm Naval Surface Gun.

SPORTS

ACC Men’s U19 Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan Clinches Title

The 12th edition of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Men’s Under-19 Asia Cup concluded in Dubai, UAE.

• The Finale: Pakistan secured its second U19 Asia Cup title by comfortably defeating India by 191 runs. Pakistan set a target of 347/8 in 50 overs and bowled out India for 156 runs.
• Top Performer: Pakistan's Sameer Minhas was declared both Player of the Match and Player of the Tournament, scoring a record-breaking 172 runs off 113 balls in the final.

OBITUARY

Passing of Pearl Harbor Survivor Ira 'Ike' Schab (105)

World War II Veteran Ira "Ike" Schab passed away at the age of 105 in Oregon, USA.

• Historical Legacy: Enlisting as a US Navy sailor in 1938, he was among the final remaining American servicemen to witness the surprise air assault on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, during which he served as a musician and ammunition handler aboard the USS Dobbin.

IMPORTANT DAYS

National Mathematics Day — December 22

Celebrated annually to honor the birth anniversary of the legendary Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan. The year 2025 marks his 138th birth anniversary.

• Background: Formally instituted in 2011 by former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh, leading to the inaugural celebration in 2012.
• Key Global Math Awards Conferred:

SASTRA Ramanujan Prize 2025: Awarded to Dr. Alexander Smith (Northwestern University, USA) for pathbreaking work in number theory and congruent number problems. (Instituted in 2005 for mathematicians under 32; carries a USD 10,000 purse).

DST-ICTP-IMU Ramanujan Prize 2025: Conferred upon Claudio Muñoz (University of Chile) for landmark research in dispersive partial differential equations. (Instituted in 2004 for researchers under 45 from developing nations; carries a USD 15,000 purse).

STATE NEWS

Uttar Pradesh Clears Rs 24,497 Crore Supplementary Budget

UP Finance Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna presented a supplementary demand for grants totaling Rs 24,496.97 crore for FY26 during the assembly's winter session.

• Scale: Represents 3.03% of the original budget cleared in early 2025, elevating UP's total FY26 budgetary expenditure layout to Rs 8,33,233.04 crore.
• Macro Projections: The state’s updated Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is estimated at Rs 31.14 lakh crore for FY26.
• Top 3 Sectoral Allocations:
  1. Industrial Development: Rs 4,874 Crore (Highest allocation)
  2. Power Sector: Rs 4,521 Crore
  3. Health & Family Welfare: Rs 3,500 Crore

Hansi Carved Out as Haryana's 23rd District

The Haryana Government issued an official notification declaring Hansi as the state’s 23rd independent district.

• Administrative Splitting: Carved out directly from the Hisar district under the provisions of the Haryana Land Revenue Act, 1887.
• Demographics & Scope: The newly framed administrative district encompasses 110 villages spanning the Hansi and Narnaund assembly constituencies, covering an operational area of 1.35 lakh hectares with a population footprint of 5.4 lakh residents.