Daily Current Affairs- 4th December 2025

Daily Current Affairs- 4th December 2025

Lok Sabha Passes Central Excise (Amendment) Bill 2025

In the News: Parliament approved the Central Excise (Amendment) Bill, 2025, with both Lok Sabha (passed on December 3, 2025) and Rajya Sabha clearing the legislation. The Bill seeks to revise excise duties on tobacco and related products after the expiry of the GST compensation cess.

Key Points:

• Introduction and Passage: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman introduced the Bill in Lok Sabha on December 1, 2025. The Lok Sabha passed it by voice vote on December 3, 2025, and Rajya Sabha returned it to Lok Sabha on December 4, 2025, completing the parliamentary approval process.
• Objective of the Bill: The Bill amends the Central Excise Act, 1944, to provide fiscal space for increasing central excise duty on tobacco products and maintain the current tax incidence after the GST compensation cess ends. The cess is expected to be discontinued by end of December 2025 after repayment of the ₹2.69 lakh crore COVID-period loan taken to compensate states.
• Increased Excise Duty Rates: The Bill significantly raises excise duties on tobacco products. Duty on unmanufactured tobacco increases from 64% to 70%. For cigarettes, duty will range from ₹2,700 to ₹11,000 per thousand sticks (previously ₹200-735). Chewing tobacco duty increases from 25% to 100%. Hookah or gudaku tobacco duty rises from 25% to 40%.
• Revenue Sharing with States: The revenue will be shared with states at 41% as per Finance Commission recommendations, ensuring no state receives lesser funds than what the Finance Commission decides.
• Alignment with WHO Benchmark: The Finance Minister stated that India's current tax incidence on cigarettes is around 53% of retail price, while the World Health Organization (WHO) benchmark is 75%. The rate fixation aims to align with WHO standards and ensure tobacco products do not become more affordable, thus discouraging consumption of demerit goods.
• GST Structure Post-Cess: Tobacco products will continue to be taxed at 40% GST under the demerit goods category. The overall tax burden will remain unchanged, with excise duty replacing the compensation cess component that was levied over and above the 28% GST slab.
• Support for Tobacco Farmers and Beedi Workers: The government has implemented crop diversification schemes in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, and West Bengal to encourage farmers to shift from tobacco cultivation to other crops

India’s Heritage Footfall Rankings 2024–25

In the News: According to the India Tourism Data Compendium 2025, India's heritage tourism sector witnessed significant growth in 2024-25, with 56 lakh foreign tourists and over 303.59 crore domestic tourist visits recorded. The Taj Mahal in Agra retained its position as India's most visited monument among the 145 centrally protected ticketed monuments under the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI).

Key Points:

• Overall Tourism Growth in 2024-25: India recorded a 1.75% increase in domestic tourist visits to heritage monuments and an 8.84% growth in foreign tourist arrivals in 2024-25. The total domestic footfall across ASI monuments crossed 54 million visits.
• Taj Mahal - Most Visited Monument: The Taj Mahal in Agra emerged as the most visited monument in 2024-25, attracting 6.26 million domestic tourists and 0.65 million foreign visitors. The monument continues to retain its title as India's primary tourism icon due to its global heritage appeal, architectural beauty, and UNESCO World Heritage status. It is also the highest revenue-generating monument in India.
• Top 10 Most Visited Monuments for Domestic Tourists: Sun Temple in Konark, Odisha ranked second with 3.57 million domestic visitors in 2024-25. Qutub Minar in Delhi secured third position.
• State-wise Performance: Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu recorded the highest domestic tourist visits, with 646.8 million and 306.8 million visitors respectively. The top 10 heritage sites account for 47% of all domestic arrivals to ASI monuments.
• Foreign Tourist Preferences: For foreign visitors, the Taj Mahal remained the top choice, followed by Qutub Minar and Agra Fort . Qutub Minar has emerged as the second most popular monument for foreign tourists, surpassing Agra Fort due to improved maintenance, better facilities, and new attractions like the evening laser light show.
• Recovery from Pandemic Impact: After a sharp decline during COVID-19 when foreign tourist arrivals fell nearly 75% to just 2.7 million in 2020, the heritage tourism sector has steadily recovered.
• ASI's Role and Coverage: The Archaeological Survey of India manages 145 centrally protected ticketed monuments across the country. India has 44 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, showcasing diverse historical heritage from ancient caves and medieval forts to grand temples and Mughal architecture
• Economic Contribution: The broader tourism sector remains a significant economic contributor nationally, with its total share (direct and indirect) estimated at 5% of GDP .

Indian Maritime Doctrine 2025

In the News: Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi unveiled the updated Indian Maritime Doctrine 2025 at the annual press conference in New Delhi, ahead of Navy Day 2025. The doctrine reflects India's vision of harnessing the oceans for Viksit Bharat 2047 amidst evolving maritime security challenges.

Key Points:

• Release and Context: The Indian Maritime Doctrine 2025 was released on December 2, 2025, by Navy Chief Admiral Dinesh K. Tripathi ahead of Navy Day celebrations on December 4, 2025. The doctrine is the apex guidance document of the Indian Navy.
• Historical Evolution: The Indian Maritime Doctrine was initially published in 2004 and revised in 2009, with minor amendments inserted in 2015. The 2025 edition reflects major transformations in India's maritime environment and strategic outlook over the last decade, making it the fourth version of this foundational document.
• Alignment with Viksit Bharat 2047: The doctrine incorporates India's broader vision of harnessing the oceans as a key pillar of Viksit Bharat 2047. It is reinforced through major Government of India initiatives such as Sagarmala, PM Gati Shakti, Maritime India Vision 2030, Maritime Amrit Kaal Vision 2047, and MAHASAGAR.
• No-War-No-Peace Spectrum: The 2025 edition formally recognizes and formalizes 'No-War-No-Peace' as a distinct category between peace and conflict, establishing it as an important facet of the conflict spectrum.
• Multi-Domain and Grey-Zone Threats: The doctrine recognizes and addresses new multi-domain threats and grey-zone challenges facing India's maritime security.
• Tri-Services Jointness and Integration: The doctrine prioritizes joint manship by aligning with tri-service joint doctrines to ensure interoperability across the Armed Forces.

India to Chair International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA)

In the News: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar formally assumed the Chairmanship of the Council of Member States of the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) for the year 2026 at a ceremony held in Stockholm, Sweden. India took over the annual Chairmanship from Switzerland, which served as the Chair for 2025.

Key Points:

• Assumption of Chairmanship: Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar formally accepted the Chairmanship of International IDEA on December 3, 2025, at Stockholm, Sweden. The Chairmanship was transferred from Switzerland, which served as Chair for 2025, with Mauritius and Mexico appointed as Vice Chairs for 2026.
• About International IDEA: The International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance is an intergovernmental organization established on February 27, 1995, by 14 founding member states including India. The organization is headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, and currently has 35 member states from all regions of the world. The United States and Japan have official observer status. International IDEA has held observer status in the United Nations General Assembly since 2003.
• India's Membership History: India is a founding member of International IDEA since its establishment in 1995.The organization works with over 20 offices worldwide in the Global South and North.
• Rotational Chairmanship System: The Council of Member States elects a Chair and two Vice Chairs each December for a one-year term. As Chair, CEC Gyanesh Kumar will preside over all council meetings during 2026.
• India's Democratic Legacy: CEC Kumar emphasized that India has conducted 18 general elections to Parliament and more than 400 general elections to State Legislatures since independence in 1947.
• International IDEA's Mandate: It works in key areas including electoral processes, constitution-building, political participation and representation, gender equality, and conflict and security issues. The organization produces comparative data, provides capacity development, facilitates dialogues on democratic reform, and protects democracy against undemocratic and authoritarian forces.

Women, Peace and Security Index 2025/26: Top 10 Best and Worst Countries

In the News: The Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (GIWPS) and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) released the 2025/26 Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Index on October 27, 2025, in New York, ranking 181 countries on 13 indicators across inclusion, justice, and security. Denmark retained the top position while Afghanistan ranked at the bottom, with the index revealing that global progress on women's status has largely stagnated since tracking began in 2017.

Key Points:

• Index Overview and Methodology: The Women, Peace and Security Index is a biennial global index that measures women's wellbeing using 13 robust and globally recognized indicators spanning three dimensions: inclusion, justice, and security. Countries are scored from 0 (worst) to 1 (best) based on indicators including women's parliamentary representation, education levels, employment rates, financial inclusion, organized violence, intimate partner violence, community safety perceptions, and proximity to armed conflict.
• Publishing Organizations and Support: The WPS Index is produced through collaboration between the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security (housed within the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University) and the Peace Research Institute Oslo (PRIO) Centre on Gender, Peace and Security, with support from the Government of Norway. International IDEA holds observer status in the United Nations General Assembly since 2003.
• Top Performing Countries: Denmark continues to lead the rankings for the third consecutive time, scoring more than three times higher than Afghanistan at the bottom. Iceland secured second position, followed by Norway and Sweden tied for third place. Other top performers include Finland (5th), along with Switzerland, Netherlands, New Zealand, Austria, Germany, and Estonia.
• Bottom Performing Countries: Afghanistan ranks 181st (last) with the lowest score, followed by Syria, Yemen, Haiti, Sudan, and Central African Republic among the bottom performers. Nine of the bottom ten countries are conflict-affected or fragile states from regions including Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East, and South Asia.
• India's Performance: India ranks 131st out of 181 countries with a score of 0.607 in the 2025/26 index. While India shows steady progress over time, improvement remains uneven with persistent challenges in areas including women's safety, political leadership representation, labour force participation rates, and legal outcomes.
• United States Performance: The United States climbed six positions from 37th in the 2023/24 edition to 31st in the 2025/26 index, showing improvement based on data available through 2024.
• Historical Context and Persistence of Challenges: Since the first WPS Index in 2017, Afghanistan, Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen have remained among the bottom dozen ranked nations, highlighting the entrenched nature of challenges in conflict-affected and fragile states.

Putin’s N-power hard sell: SMRs, new-gen large nuke reactors, serial production in India

In the News: During Russian President Vladimir Putin's visit to India on December 4-5, 2025, for the 23rd India-Russia Annual Summit, Russia's state nuclear corporation Rosatom, led by CEO Alexei Likhachev, presented an extensive portfolio of nuclear cooperation proposals to India. These include small modular reactors (SMRs), next-generation large reactors, and serial production localization, aimed at deepening the long-standing civil nuclear partnership between the two nations built upon the successful Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant project in Tamil Nadu.

Key Points:

• High-Level Visit and MoU Framework: Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in India on December 4, 2025, for a two-day state visit and the annual India-Russia Summit. The Russian Cabinet cleared the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with India to deepen bilateral cooperation in civil nuclear energy ahead of the visit.
• Rosatom's Nuclear Portfolio Presentation: Rosatom CEO Alexei Likhachev accompanied Putin with a nuclear industry contingent carrying a comprehensive portfolio of proposals for India. According to Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the proposals include cooperation in building small modular reactors (SMRs), large next-generation VVER-1200 reactors, and floating nuclear power plants
• Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) Technology: SMRs are compact nuclear reactors with generating capacity ranging from 50 to 300 megawatts (MWe), approximately one-third the size of traditional large reactors that produce around 1,000 MWe. These reactors are factory-built, transportable by truck, and can be assembled on-site, offering flexible and scalable energy solutions. Russia is preparing to transition to mass production of small nuclear power plants for both domestic and international deployment.
• Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant Foundation: The India-Russia nuclear cooperation is built upon the successful Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) project in Tamil Nadu, which serves as a showcase of bilateral collaboration. The first reactor (Unit 1) was connected to India's power grid in 2013, followed by the second reactor (Unit 2) in 2016. The Kudankulam plant is designed to house six VVER-1000 reactors with a combined installed capacity of 6,000 MW, with construction continuing on Units 3-6. Russia delivered the first consignment of nuclear fuel for the third reactor during Putin's visit, with seven cargo flights scheduled to supply the entire reactor core.
• Advanced Reactor Proposals and Serial Construction: Russia's Rosatom and India's Department of Atomic Energy are working on technical specifications for large VVER-1200 reactors, which represent next-generation technology with enhanced safety features and efficiency.
• Nuclear Fuel Cycle Cooperation: Beyond reactor construction, both countries are exploring broader cooperation across the entire nuclear fuel cycle, including closed fuel cycle technologies linked to Russia's advanced "Proryv" (Breakthrough) programme. A contract signed in 2024 ensures fuel delivery for both the third and fourth VVER-1000 reactors at Kudankulam throughout their service lives, with initial loading already underway.
• India's Indigenous SMR Programme: India's Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) is simultaneously developing its own indigenous SMR design based on the country's extensive experience with Pressurized Heavy Water Reactors (PHWRs).

SEBI Launches SWAGAT-FI to Simplify Access for Low-Risk Foreign Investors in India

In the News: The Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) introduced the SWAGAT-FI (Single Window Automatic & Generalised Access for Trusted Foreign Investors) framework through the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Foreign Portfolio Investors) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2025, notified in December 2025.

Key Points:

• Framework Introduction and Consultation Process: SEBI released a consultation paper on August 8, 2025, proposing the SWAGAT-FI framework and invited public comments until August 29, 2025. Following stakeholder consultations, SEBI notified the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Foreign Portfolio Investors) (Second Amendment) Regulations, 2025, which came into force 180 days after publication in the Official Gazette, with certain clauses becoming effective immediately upon publication.
• Full Form and Objective: SWAGAT-FI stands for "Single Window Automatic & Generalised Access for Trusted Foreign Investors." The primary objective is to replace the historical labyrinth of overlapping and sometimes contradictory compliance requirements with a single, clear regulatory path
• Unified Registration and Dual Investment Routes: The SWAGAT-FI framework offers a single-window, unified registration process that eliminates the need for separate compliance procedures for different investment routes. Eligible investors can register simultaneously as both Foreign Portfolio Investors (FPIs) and Foreign Venture Capital Investors (FVCIs) without additional paperwork, enabling them to invest in both listed securities and unlisted sectors including startups.
• Extended Compliance and Registration Cycle: To reduce the administrative burden on long-term investors, SEBI has extended the periodicity for registration renewals, fee submission, and KYC documentation reviews to 10 years, a significant increase from the current three-year or five-year cycles that apply to regular FPIs. SWAGAT-FI entities will pay registration fees upfront once every 10 years at $2,500 per 10-year block, instead of the previous three-year renewal cycle.
• Single Demat Account Option: The framework permits SWAGAT-FIs to optionally use a single dematerialized (demat) account for all their holdings across different investment routes, whether through FPI, FVCI, or other foreign investment instruments.
• Removal of NRI/OCI/RI Contribution Caps: Under the current FPI regulations, the combined contribution from Non-Resident Indians (NRIs), Overseas Citizens of India (OCIs), and Resident Indians (RIs) in an FPI is capped at 50 percent of the total corpus. The SWAGAT-FI framework proposes removing this aggregate contribution restriction for eligible funds, particularly benefiting mutual funds with diversified retail investor bases.
• Alignment with Global Standards and Market Reforms: The lighter regulatory touch approach for low-risk entities aligns with international best practices and standards prevalent in major global financial centers. The platform complements SEBI's ongoing reforms under the International Financial Services Centres Authority (IFSCA) and supports India's aspiration to position GIFT City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) as a premier global investment hub.

Navy Day 2025: Story of Operation Trident, the 1971 Bangladesh War operation commemorated today

In the News: India celebrated Navy Day on December 4, 2025, to commemorate the 54th anniversary of Operation Trident, a decisive and audacious naval assault carried out on the night of December 4-5, 1971, against Pakistan's Karachi harbour during the Indo-Pakistani War. The day honors the valor, strategic brilliance, and professionalism of the Indian Navy, with President Droupadi Murmu attending the main celebrations held at Shangumugham Beach in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, marking the first time Navy Day was celebrated outside Mumbai or Visakhapatnam.

Key Points:

• Historical Background and Context: Operation Trident was launched on the night of December 4-5, 1971, marking the first major offensive naval operation undertaken by the Indian Navy after India's independence in 1947. Hostilities between India and Pakistan had broken out on December 3, 1971, as the Indian armed forces pushed deeper into East Pakistan (later Bangladesh) during the Bangladesh Liberation War.
• Strategic Planning and Task Force Composition: The task force assembled for Operation Trident consisted of three Vidyut-class missile boats from the 25th "Killer" Missile Boat Squadron: INS Nipat, INS Nirghat, and INS Veer. These were Soviet-built Osa-class vessels, each armed with four SS-N-2B Styx surface-to-surface anti-ship missiles with a range of approximately 40 nautical miles (about 75 kilometers).
• Attack on Karachi Infrastructure: Following the destruction of Pakistani naval vessels, INS Nipat and INS Veer were ordered to advance closer to Karachi harbour. INS Veer attacked two harbour targets, while INS Nipat launched a missile at the Karachi oil storage tanks and refineries at midnight. One missile struck the fuel storage facilities, causing a massive explosion visible for miles that completely destroyed the tanks.
• Zero Indian Casualties and Safe Return: Operation Trident achieved its objectives with zero casualties or damage to any Indian naval vessel, making it an unqualified tactical and strategic success that significantly boosted morale across the Indian armed forces.
• Follow-up Operation Python: The enormous success of Operation Trident prompted another successful attack on Karachi on December 8-9, 1971, known as Operation Python. This second strike further reinforced India's naval dominance in the Arabian Sea.
• Awards and Recognition: Several Indian Navy personnel were honored with gallantry awards for their exceptional performance during Operation Trident. Commander Babru Bhan Yadav, who commanded INS Nirghat, was awarded the Maha Vir Chakra, India's second-highest military decoration for acts of conspicuous gallantry, for his gallant action and leadership during the operation.
• Establishment of Navy Day: In recognition of the operational success and strategic impact of Operation Trident, the Indian Navy designated December 4 as Navy Day, to be observed annually.
• 2025 Theme and Contemporary Relevance: The theme for Navy Day 2025, "Combat Ready, Cohesive, Credible, and Aatmanirbhar Force," reflects the Navy's evolution from a coastal defense force to a confident blue-water navy with expanding reach across the Indo-Pacific region. The celebrations highlighted the Navy's commitment toward indigenization through platforms like INS Vikrant (India's first indigenous aircraft carrier) and Project 17A frigates.