Daily Current Affairs- 16th November 2025

Daily Current Affairs- 16th November 2025

National Migration Survey (2026–27)

In the News: The Government of India has launched the National Migration Survey (NMS) 2026–27, a comprehensive nationwide study to map internal and international migration trends, labour mobility patterns, and socio-economic conditions of migrant households for evidence-based policymaking.

Key Points:

• Survey objective: The NMS aims to generate detailed data on inter-state, intra-state, rural–urban, seasonal, circular, and international migration, filling a major data gap since migration has not been systematically surveyed at this scale in recent years.
• Coverage: The survey will cover all States and Union Territories, including urban slums, industrial clusters, border districts, and regions with high seasonal/circular migration.
• Key themes examined: Employment-linked migration, education-driven movement, marriage-related migration, distress migration, remittances, living conditions of migrants, access to welfare, and gender-specific migration drivers.
• Labour mobility focus: Special emphasis on construction, domestic work, manufacturing, agriculture, gig platforms, and MSME clusters, where migrant labour forms a large share but remains undercounted.
• Remittance mapping: The survey will quantify domestic and international remittance flows, their usage, and impact on poverty reduction and household consumption.
• Welfare access: Data will be collected on migrants’ access to ration portability, health insurance schemes (PM-JAY), social security codes, and digital identity portability under One Nation–One Ration Card (ONORC).
• Gendered migration trends: The survey will separately analyse female migration for work, which is often underreported due to marriage-linked categorization, helping estimate true women’s labour mobility.
• Climate-linked migration: The NMS will document displacement caused by floods, droughts, heatwaves, and coastal erosion, reflecting India’s growing vulnerability to climate pressures.
• Urban stress assessment: Cities will be evaluated on housing conditions, rental burdens, slum expansion, and access to basic services among migrant workers.

Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) Initiative

In the News: The Government of India has launched the Jal Sanchay Jan Bhagidari (JSJB) initiative as a nationwide, community-driven water conservation programme to tackle India’s rising water scarcity, declining groundwater tables, and increasing climate-induced hydrological stress.

Key Points:

• Launch purpose: The initiative aims to mobilise citizens for water harvesting, groundwater recharge, and rejuvenation of traditional water bodies to address India’s annual water demand gap.
• Priority districts: JSJB will initially target over-exploited and critical groundwater blocks, based on Central Ground Water Board (CGWB) assessments.
• Hydrological focus: Activities include desilting tanks, restoring ahars–pyne, baolis, johads, stepwells, construction of check dams, percolation tanks, recharge shafts, and contour trenches in drought-prone belts.
• GIS-based planning: Implementation will use GIS mapping, ISRO satellite data, and hydrological modelling to identify depleted aquifers and monitor seasonal recharge levels.
• Jan Bhagidari model: The initiative emphasises public participation, requiring contributions from panchayats, urban local bodies, SHGs, RWAs, NSS units, and civil society groups.
• Convergence with central schemes: JSJB works in synergy with Jal Jeevan Mission, Atal Bhujal Yojana, PMKSY-Watershed Development, MGNREGA water conservation works, and Namami Gange rejuvenation efforts.
• Water budgeting: States will prepare village-level water budgets detailing annual rainfall, consumption estimates, groundwater extraction levels, and recharge potential.
• Urban component: Cities must integrate rooftop rainwater harvesting mandates, storm-water drain mapping, and blue-green infrastructure planning within master plans.
• Monitoring mechanism: A national dashboard will record water storage created (in cubic metres), groundwater level changes (pre- and post-monsoon), number of assets restored, and community participation metrics.
• Climate resilience: JSJB addresses rising heatwaves, irregular monsoons, and declining per capita water availability (projected to fall below 1,500 m³ by 2030).

India Targets 55% Female Workforce Participation by 2030

In the News: India has announced an ambitious national target to raise female labour force participation (FLFP) to 55% by the year 2030, marking a major push toward accelerating economic growth, improving gender equity, and aligning with global development commitments.

Key Points:

• Current situation: India’s female workforce participation is estimated to be around 37%, reflecting structural barriers such as unpaid care burdens, limited childcare access, safety concerns, and gendered social norms.
• Policy goal: The Government aims to increase FLFP to 55% by 2030, aligning with national demographic needs and global benchmarks under the SDGs (Goal 5 & Goal 8).
• Economic rationale: Higher women’s participation could add hundreds of billions of dollars to India’s GDP by 2030 through increased productivity, better utilisation of human capital, and a broader consumer base.
• Key interventions announced: Expansion of crèche facilities, more flexible and remote work options, gender-inclusive skilling under PMKVY, incentives for companies hiring women, and safety improvements in workplaces and public transport.
• Sectoral focus: Special push in manufacturing, services, digital economy, textiles, healthcare, and education, where women’s participation can rise quickly with appropriate training and compliance enforcement.
• Legal and policy reforms: Strengthening implementation of the Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Act 2017, stricter compliance with the PoSH Act 2013, and revising labour codes to make workplaces more gender-inclusive.
• Social support measures: Greater investment in childcare infrastructure, menstrual health support, and awareness campaigns to reduce stigma associated with women working in non-traditional sectors.
• State-level action: States have been directed to design gender-focused employment missions, especially in regions with historically low FLFP.
• Monitoring mechanism: A national dashboard will track progress through indicators like skilling numbers, formal job creation for women, workplace safety compliance, and sector-wise participation rates.
• Long-term vision: The initiative aims to create a more inclusive, productive, and resilient Indian economy by ensuring that women’s participation becomes central to the country’s growth trajectory for the next decade.

Supreme Court Directs Jharkhand to Declare 31,468.25 Hectares of Saranda Forest as Wildlife Sanctuary

In the News: The Supreme Court of India has directed the Jharkhand government to notify 31,468.25 hectares of the Saranda forest as a wildlife sanctuary, marking a major step toward conserving one of India’s ecologically critical elephant habitats.

Key Points

• The Supreme Court issued the direction while hearing matters related to forest conservation and mining activities in the ecologically sensitive Saranda region of West Singhbhum district in Jharkhand.
• The Court observed that Saranda is a critical wildlife habitat, particularly for Asian elephants, and requires full legal protection to prevent habitat fragmentation caused by mining and linear infrastructure projects.
• The order mandates the Jharkhand government to declare 31,468.25 hectares as a wildlife sanctuary under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, ensuring statutory safeguards for biodiversity conservation.
• Saranda, known as “the land of seven hundred hills,” forms part of the Singhbhum Elephant Reserve and supports rich flora and fauna, including elephants, leopards, sambar, and several endemic species.
• The region has faced increasing ecological pressure due to iron ore mining, prompting the Court to emphasise the need for strict protection, restoration of degraded areas, and regulation of extractive activities.
• The Court highlighted that the declaration of a sanctuary would help secure elephant corridors, reduce human–wildlife conflict, and enhance long-term conservation outcomes.
• The Supreme Court also emphasised the responsibility of the State to ensure transparent compliance, proper demarcation of the sanctuary boundary, and submission of a detailed status report on implementation.
• The order aligns with India’s broader commitments to biodiversity protection and conservation planning under Project Elephant, the National Wildlife Action Plan, and global frameworks such as the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

Drone City and Space City Project

In the News: During the 30th Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Partnership Summit, the Union Ministry of Commerce & Industry laid the foundation stone for India’s first Drone City and a new Space City in Andhra Pradesh, marking a major step toward building a high-technology hub in the state.

Key Points

• Andhra Pradesh has become the first state to simultaneously host a dedicated Drone City and Space City, aimed at positioning the region as a national centre for aerospace, drones, and space technology.
• The Drone City will be established at the Orvakal Industrial Node near Kurnool, covering 300 acres, and will function as a specialised hub for drone manufacturing, testing, certification, and innovation.
• Drone City is expected to strengthen India’s self-reliance in high-quality drone production and support national missions such as Kisan Drones, Swamitva Yojana, and national security operations including Operation Sindoor.
• The Space City will be developed near Sriharikota, India’s premier rocket launch centre, enhancing Andhra Pradesh’s role in satellite development, launch-related industries, and commercial space activity.
• The Space City is designed to complement national efforts under IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre) by expanding private-sector participation in the space ecosystem.
• The State Government will provide strong investment incentives, including a 100% State GST refund through an escrow mechanism and 20% capital investment reimbursement, creating a transparent and industry-friendly environment.
• These projects align with national development visions under Viksit Bharat 2047 and also support Swarna Andhra 2047, the State’s long-term strategy to transform Andhra Pradesh into a USD 2.4 trillion economy by 2047.
• The initiatives aim to attract significant domestic and foreign investment and generate large numbers of high-skilled jobs in avionics, aerospace engineering, robotics, propulsion systems, electronics, and advanced manufacturing.
• The foundation stone was laid during the CII Partnership Summit, an annual event organised with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) under the Ministry of Commerce & Industry.
• The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) is a non-government, not-for-profit, industry-led organisation founded in 1895, headquartered in New Delhi, and plays a major role in shaping India’s industrial and economic policy.