Based on the provided content from The Hindu (dated December 12, 2025), here is the topic-wise breakdown of current affairs relevant for UPSC and TNPSC exams.
I. Polity,
Governance & Constitution
1. Supreme Court Ruling on Narco Tests
·
News: The Supreme Court set aside a Patna High Court order permitting an
involuntary narco test, declaring forced tests unconstitutional.
·
Constitutional Basis:
Article 20(3): Protects an
accused from being compelled to be a witness against themselves (protection
against self-incrimination).
Article 21: Forced testing
violates the Right to Privacy and Personal Liberty.
"Golden Triangle": The court referenced the interaction of Articles 14, 19, and 21, known as
the Golden Triangle of the Constitution.
·
Key Case Laws:
Selvi v. State of Karnataka (2010): Established that narco tests require voluntary, informed consent.
Amlesh Kumar v. State of Bihar (2025): The recent case where the SC overturned the High Court's order.
2. Judicial Appointments & Collegium System (Madras
High Court)
·
Issue: A controversy has arisen regarding the Madras High Court Collegium's
recommendation of judges, specifically the exclusion of a senior Collegium
judge, Justice J. Nisha Banu, without clear justification.
·
Procedure:
Collegium Composition: High Court judge
appointments are recommended by a Collegium comprising the Chief Justice of the
High Court and the two senior-most judges8.
Memorandum of Procedure (MoP): Mandates this composition and strict adherence to judicially developed
norms.
·
Concerns: The State government sought clarification on the procedural deviation,
raising questions about transparency and the structural integrity of judicial
independence.
3. Karnataka Hate Speech Bill, 2025
·
News: The Karnataka government proposed the Karnataka Hate Speech and Hate
Crimes (Prevention) Bill, 2025.
·
Critique: Critics argue the Bill plays to the gallery and poses a threat to free
speech due to the subjective definition of terms like "harmony,"
"hate," and "enmity"12121212.
·
Concerns: The broad definition of hate speech could lead to misuse of state power
and restrict individual liberty.
4. Copyright Law & Artificial Intelligence (AI)
·
News: The Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) is
proposing amendments to the Copyright Act, 1957 to address AI data scraping.
·
Proposal: A "blanket licensing" framework where AI firms pay royalties to
a copyright society (CRCAT) once their models are commercialized, rather than
when training data is scraped.
·
Debate: Tech firms (represented by Nasscom) argue for an "opt-out"
model, while publishers demand compensation for the use of their content in
training Large Language Models (LLMs).
II. Economy &
Social Development
1. Education: NSS 80th Round Survey (April-June 2025)
·
Key Findings:
Enrollment: 55.9% of students
nationally are in government schools. In urban areas, private school enrollment
is 51.4%, while in rural areas it is 24.3%.
Cost of Education: Private schooling
costs are significant; pre-primary private education costs roughly equal the
monthly income of the poorest 5% of household.
Private Tuition: 30.7% of urban
and 25.5% of rural students take private coaching. This trend increases with
the level of education.
·
Constitutional Context: Article 21A mandates free and compulsory education for children
aged 6-14. The NEP 2020 aims to extend this to ages 3-18.
·
Issue: Rising costs and reliance on private tuition exacerbate inequality in
access to quality education21212121.
2. Indian Economy: Falling Rupee
·
Status: The rupee has depreciated below ₹90 against the US dollar.
·
Causes:
Foreign Portfolio Investment (FPI) Outflows: Investors withdrawing capital due to higher valuations in India and better
returns elsewhere.
Trade Deficit: Import growth
exceeding export growth increases demand for dollars.
Tariff Uncertainty: Delay in a trade
deal between India and the US.
·
Impact:
Inflation: A 5% depreciation
might push inflation up by only 0.3-0.4%.
Exports: Theoretically
makes exports more competitive, benefiting sectors like services
Imports: Makes imports
(oil, fertilizers) more expensive, potentially straining the fiscal balance
slightly.
III. Environment
& Ecology
1. Air Pollution as a Health Emergency
·
Crisis: In 2025, 150 out of 256 monitored Indian cities exceeded national PM 2.5
standards.
·
Health Impact:
Life Expectancy: 46% of Indians
live in regions where pollution significantly reduces life expectancy (e.g., a
loss of over 8 years in Delhi).
Diseases: Linked to
cardiovascular disease, respiratory issues (asthma in 6% of children), and
neurological damage (dementia risk).
·
Policy Gaps: The National Clean Air Programme (NCAP) has weak enforcement, and the
official AQI cap of 500 is outdated compared to real-time levels often
exceeding 600-1000.
·
Way Forward: Experts call for recognizing clean air as a Fundamental Right
essential for equitable growth.
2. COP30 (Climate Summit in Belem, Brazil)
·
Geopolitics:
China: Displayed
"soft power" with green tech (tea-infused fabric) and efficient
manufacturing, positioning itself as essential for the green transition (solar
cells, batteries).
India: Maintained an
austere presence; part of the "Like-Minded Developing Countries"
group focusing on adaptation finance rather than hard deadlines for fossil fuel
phase-out.
·
Incident: A fire caused by a short circuit near the Africa pavilion disrupted the
event.
IV. Science &
Technology
1. Gaganyaan Mission: Human-Rating the LVM-3
·
Context: ISRO is certifying the LVM-3 rocket (to be renamed HLVM-3) for India’s
maiden human spaceflight.
·
What is Human-Rating? A certification process ensuring a space system can safely carry humans by
adding redundancy and robust abort capabilities to minimize risk.
·
Safety Standards:
NASA standard: 0.2% chance of catastrophic failure (loss
of crew).
Requires a higher success rate (approx. 98-99.5%)
compared to cargo rockets.
·
Modifications for Gaganyaan:
Crew Escape System: Can pull the crew
module away during a launch emergency.
Redundancy: Triple or
quadruple redundant flight computers and strengthened engines
·
Global Context: Only Russia (Soyuz), China (Long March 2F), and the US (Falcon 9)
currently have operational human-rated vehicles.
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